A Race Against Time
by mystikaos
Summary: With Voldemort's defeat, Harry thought his future was safe. Years later, he finds a curse has been placed on his children. The next generation takes things into their own hands, traversing time itself, to save the Potters. Now as long as they don't cause Voldemort to win, negate their own existence, or create a world ruled by apes, things will be fine! (Slash! Time Travel!)
1. Chapter 1

**A Race Against Time**

 **Chapter 1:**

Harry Potter swept down the sterile white halls of St. Mungos with an air of authority and imperativeness that made everyone in his path hastily jump out of his way. The powerful Head Auror radiated magical energy and it thrummed so strongly that those nearby could feel it washing over them as he passed. When he opened the door to room 318, though, his stoic façade immediately morphed into one of deep-seeded worry with an edge of desperate hope.

"You know what's wrong with him?" he anxiously asked the gorgeous young blond Healer who was stationed at his eldest son's bedside.

"Yes, Uncle Harry. We've finally been able to get a diagnosis," Victorie Lupin (nee Weasley) confirmed with the slightest of wavers darkening her soprano voice.

"I tried to bribe her into telling me what it was before you and Mum arrived, but the damn girl's incorruptible," James Sirius Potter joked lightly from his position in the hospital bed. He gave his father a small smile, obviously trying to lighten the mood as the boy was wont to do in almost every situation, but the smile lacked its usual mischievousness. Despite his best efforts to put on a brave face, the notorious joker looked pale, run-down, and more than a little nervous.

James had been in hospital for just over a week now, being poked and prodded by every Specialist Healer this side of the Atlantic it seemed. The young man personally thought everyone was overreacting; sure, he'd been feeling off-kilter for a little over two months now, but it wasn't anything serious. So he felt more lethargic than usual, seemed to be a bit weaker than normal, and had odd stabs of pain through his muscles once in a while. He was probably just pushing himself too hard at work. After all, being a professional Chaser was no flight in the park. It required hours of training, conditioning, and obligatory pub-hopping after each victory. Particularly considering that James was the star Chaser on the Chudley Cannons, of all teams.

The Cannons weren't the abysmal laughing stock that they had been when he was a child, but that was mostly thanks to James. Although James tended not to brag (much) thanks to his father instilling him with a sense of modesty and always making him work for what he wanted, the fact was that James Sirius Potter was the most sought-after Chaser in the league. In his seventh year at Hogwarts, the boy had been recruited by every team in the British League. It wasn't too surprising considering that James had shattered every Hogwarts record for scoring, even managing 21 goals on his own in the final game of his sixth year versus Ravenclaw, allowing Gryffindor to win the game, and the House Cup, despite the Ravenclaw Seeker getting the snitch. After that, James could have his pick of pro teams.

He shocked everyone by choosing the Cannons, despite the fact that their salary offer was the lowest, and they were the last place team that year. James had said that he wanted a challenge and the chance to really push himself as a player, which was true, but a large part of his controversial decision had also been his lifelong fandom of the underdogs. He could remember countless days from his childhood sitting in the big comfy chair by the fireplace with his Uncle Ron, listening to the Cannons games on the Wizarding Wireless, and going to a few games in person with him. Thanks to these happy memories, the Cannons were cemented as one of his two favorite teams. The other one was, of course, the Harpies, but since he couldn't play for the all-girl team his Mum was on, he grew up dreaming of being a Cannon.

Said Mum chose that moment to burst through the door, shattering James' musings on his condition and its causes. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get here," Ginny Potter fretted as she immediately enveloped her eldest son's face in her hands and began kissing his forehead and cheeks as if she hadn't seen him in 12 years instead of 12 hours.

"Mu-um!" James whined as his cousin sniggered at him and his father tried to hide his amused smile.

Ginny backed off after a final smacking kiss, retreating to her husband's side and gripping his hand tightly. "So, Victorie, what is it?" she asked anxiously.

"Well," the Healer began carefully, "it appears to be a curse."

"A curse? When did you get cursed? Why didn't you say anything?" Ginny asked James rapid fire. "What do we have to do to reverse it?" she turned to ask Victorie.

"I-I don't know. Is it possible to be cursed without realizing it?" James asked Victorie.

"Sometimes, but it's very rare," Harry chimed in, knowing thanks to his work with the Aurors.

"Correct," Victorie confirmed. "But that doesn't seem to be the case here. You, uh, you guys might want to sit," she said hesitantly.

Ginny's face drained of blood at the suggestion, knowing it wasn't a good sign. "Oh Merlin," she gasped as she slowly sat in the chair next to the hospital bed, "what is it?"

Harry chose not to sit, feeling more in control in an offensive position, but he did move next to James, gripping his shoulder securely. The boy raised his chocolate brown eyes to meet his father's emerald green ones, silently thanking him for the support.

"James," Victorie began, "it appears that you are suffering from a bloodline curse."

Harry inhaled sharply but Ginny and James just looked confused.

"What's a bloodline curse?" James asked.

"It's a class of curses that affect all the members of a particular bloodline. It is passed down genetically. That's why you don't recall being cursed; it most likely wasn't _you_ who was actually cursed."

Harry and Ginny turned to one another with a knowing look. "It was me, wasn't it?" Harry asked despondently.

"We'll have to do a few tests to know for sure, but given your history and the fact that you didn't show any symptoms at your time of magical maturity, that is the suspicion," his niece said apologetically.

"Magical maturity?" James inquired.

"Yes; every wizard and witch has an age of magical maturity, similar to the legal age of maturity. The difference is that it isn't a set age. It varies a bit for everyone, just like physical puberty does. Once a wizard or witch goes through it, though, they have reached their full magical capacity. They can still learn new things and expand their skills, but it terms of raw power, it all peaks at magical maturity," she explained. "In this case, it also appears to be the trigger for this particular bloodline curse."

"What _particular_ curse is it, Torie?" Ginny asked.

"The curse specialist from Macedonia identified it as the _Tabesco Hereditatis_ curse."

"I've never heard of that one," Harry stated in surprise. After so many years as an Auror, he thought he knew almost every curse out there.

"That's not surprising," Victorie replied. "It's a very old curse that hasn't been seen in nearly 400 years. It was originally developed as a means to…dissuade…heirs from marrying or, uh, fooling around, with those deemed 'undesirable' by their parents. In this case, we think someone used it to punish you, Uncle Harry. It's no secret that your family means everything to you, so the person who cast this probably figured a curse affecting your kids would hurt you more than one affecting you."

"What does it do?" Harry asked breathlessly, not entirely sure if he wanted to know. Ginny grabbed his hand and gripped it so tightly it started to throb.

"It…it," she stuttered as her eyes grew watery, "it activates at magical maturity and slowly wastes the progeny away."

"W-wastes them away?" Ginny asked in capped terror.

"It causes the person to r-r-rot from th-the inside," she sobbed, having completely lost her professional composure. "Oh, James! I'm so sorry!" she cried as she threw herself over him and enveloped the stunned young man in a hug.

Ginny was also sobbing, burying her face in Harry's shoulder as the Man-Who-Defeated-Voldemort stood stock still, struck in abject horror.

' _This can't be happening. Not my boy. I thought all of the darkness and despair was done with! We lost so many people already; haven't we suffered enough? Why God, why do you keep taking everyone I love?'_ Harry raged in his head. He broke away from his own thoughts when Ginny pulled away from him and threw herself on her eldest son, embracing every inch of him that Victorie had left exposed. The three people on the bed were all shaking with their cries, but surprisingly, it was James who composed himself first. With a loud sniff he sat up as much as he could under the weight of his mum and cousin and wiped his eyes, stifling any further tears.

Victorie backed off of him so that he could move and Ginny slid to his side, though she refused to release him from her tight hug. "Okay, so how do we beat this thing?" he asked resolutely, a determined fire burning in his red, puffy eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

"Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter," Radoslav Volchenkov greeted as he walked into James' hospital room. "Yames," he added as he turned to the young man in the bed. The man was tall and thickly built, casting a rather imposing presence in the room. His thick brown beard was streaked with gray, as was his course wiry hair, but his bushy mustache was still perfectly chestnut tinted. James thought that the man could have been Hagrid's little brother, only he was noticeably lacking in Hagrid's jovial smile and welcoming demeanor.

The man was strict, stern, and all business, traits James found it difficult to relate to, but Victorie had made it clear that the Macedonian Healer was their best chance to figure out a cure, so he plastered a respectful smile on his face and nodded in greeting. Harry and Ginny shook his hand before returning to their anxious hovering next to James.

"Zee good news iz zat zer _is_ a cure for zis curse," he began, barely pausing for the relieved sighs from everyone in the room. "Owever," he rumbled, "it requires zee blood of zee castor."

"But we don't know who cast it," Ginny pointed out desperately.

"Zen ve must find out," Volchenkov countered. "Our tests ave determined zat it vas in fact you, Mr. Potter, who vas cursed. Der are trace amounts of zee curse magic in your bloodstream."

"That hardly narrows down the list of suspects," Harry muttered angrily. ' _Why oh why did I have to become an Auror? If I had just played Quidditch like Gin or become a Professor, or even been a lay about feeding off of my family fortune, I never would have been in a position to make so many more enemies. I never would have put my family in this much danger!'_

"Yes, Victorie tells me zat you are zee 'ead Auror. I imagine zis gives you many enemies."

Harry nodded miserably, clutching his hands into fists so tight that the knuckles were white.

"Dad," James said softly, reaching out to take his father's hand, "this _isn't_ your fault," he insisted, knowing his father's seemingly endless capacity for guilt. "Your work has saved countless lives and I wouldn't have wanted you to do anything else with your life. The only one to blame for this is the bastard that cursed us," he growled.

"James!" Ginny chastised immediately out of reflex. When James gave her a withering look, she paused to think, then nodded. "Never mind, you're right. He, or she, is a bastard!" she affirmed fiercely.

"Zere is vone good zing about zis curse," Volchenkov interjected. "It can only be cast by zomevone who has a blood conneczion. Zat is vhy it vas originally used on children by zer parents."

"A blood connection? So you're saying someone in our family did this to us?" James asked in utter confusion.

"How dare you?!" Ginny roared, advancing on the bulky Healer despite the fact that he was very nearly twice her size. "No one in our family would _ever_ do something like this!"

"I mean no offenze, Mrs. Potter, but zat iz zee only vay ze curse can be cast," he replied without so much as bating an eye at Ginny's famous intimidating temper.

"Wait, but you said the curse was placed on me. The only living blood relatives I have are my aunt and cousin, and they are both Muggles," Harry countered, ruffling the back of his messy hair as he ran his palm up and down his neck.

"Are zhu sure? Per'aps zer is an illeyitamite cozin or zomezing out zere you are not avare of?"

"No. My father was an only child, as was his father and his mother, and my mum was a Muggle-born. There was a very in-depth study of my lineage and relatives when my parents died to determine my custody. There isn't anyone magical alive today that is related to me by blood, except my own kids, of course."

"Vhat about zose who are not alive today? Zee curse could 'ave been placed on you many years ago," the Healer said. Harry thought very carefully, but he still kept coming to the same conclusion. His mum and dad were the last of his magical relatives, and he hardly thought they would have put this curse on him! "Vell, zinck long and 'ard on it as dis vill be zee only zing dat can zave de lives of all your children."

"All our children?" Harry gasped as his head shot up in surprise. "What do you mean? Only James is sick, not that that isn't already more than awful enough."

"Right now Yames is zee only vone affected, but remember, zee curse activates at magical maturity. Your ozer children are younger, no?"

"Dear Merlin, no," Ginny cried with wide eyes and trembling hands. "Do you mean…"

"Al and Lily are going to get sick too?!" James shouted angrily, shooting fully upright in the bed. "NO! No, I won't let that happen!" James seethed. "If I can't be saved that's one thing, but I will NOT let my little brother and sister die too," he ground out through clenched teeth and tears.

"James, don't say that about you dying," Ginny admonished tearfully.

"I don't _want_ to die, Mum, but if it's unavoidable I can accept my fate. I'm just a Quidditch player, after all. But Al! Al's so smart it's scary! And he's so ambitious, and kind, and he never judges people by stupid things like their house or their name. He's really going to be someone; he's going to make a true difference in the world, I just know it. And Lils, oh God, little Lily! She's so sweet, and energetic, and brave! She's friends with _everyone_ and she just brightens up the whole world. She makes everyone she meets smile and forget about all the crap and darkness in the world. They can't die, Mum, they just can't!"

"Oh, James!" Ginny cried at his uncharacteristic display of emotion, enveloping him in yet another strong hug. Harry joined them a millisecond later, heedless of the large Macedonian Healer in their midst.

"You're right, James, Al and Lily are very special and have so much potential, but so are you," Harry insisted, looking deeply into his son's eyes. "You are a joy that radiates like the sun. Whenever I'm angry or upset about something at work, you always know exactly how to cheer me up. You remind me so much of Sirius and my dad, at least as Siri described him, but you're so much more than they were too. You may be a prankster and always be ready with a joke and a smile, but you know what's important in life too. You work so hard at everything; Quidditch, your studies, taking care of your brother and sister. Plus, you are amazingly brave and noble. Al told me about how you stood up to that bunch of seventh years who were harassing Scorpius Malfoy on his first day at Hogwarts, even though you were only a third year and they were your housemates whereas he was a Slytherin. Just because you are a Quidditch player and not a Healer or the Minister of Magic doesn't mean you don't make a difference in this world."

"That's right, sweetheart," Ginny added. "Do you know how many thousands of kids look up to you? You're a role model to them, and every time that you are your wonderful, cheerful, funny, brave, intelligent, and kind self, you show them the right way to be. We're so proud of you, and we are _not_ going to let you go," she growled, sounding like a mother lion protecting her cub.

"Thanks Mum, Dad," James said with a tear in his eye as he hugged them close.

"I'm going to call Hermione and see if she can find anything that might help with this. Who knows, maybe Dumbledore and the Ministry missed some long lost relative I have out there when they were doing the heritage search," Harry proposed.

"If anyone can find anything, it will be Hermione," Ginny agreed resolutely.

"Yeah, Aunt Mione is a researching machine!" James added with a small smile.

"Very vell," Healer Volchenkov broke in, startling the group who had forgotten he was still there. "If you come up vis any possible relatives, let me know and vee vill start zee cure. Unfortunately, until zen, zer is nozing ve can do, I am afraid. Yames, you should be fine for a vhile, a few months at least, alzough zee veakness and tiredness vill increase over time, az vill zee pain. I vill have 'ealer Victorie give you all of zee details. Mr. Potter, if I can 'ave a vord vis you?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Harry replied, somewhat startled by the request. The brutish man didn't seem the type to tread delicately, so Harry couldn't help but wonder what could be so bad that he didn't want to say it in front of his wife and son.

"Mr. Potter," the Healer began, putting up a _Muffilato_ as they stepped into the hall, "'ow old are zee other children?"

"Oh," Harry exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't been expecting something so seemingly innocuous. "Al's 16 and Lily just turned 14. Why?"

"Magical maturity, as your niece told you, varies vith each child. Yames seems to have yust gone through his a few months ago, but zat is razer late, to be honest. Most children go through it around 16 or 17, alzough zee earliest on record vas 11. I am vorried for your ozer children, especially your ozer son. 'opefully 'e vill develop late like Yames, and ve vill have figured zee cure out by zen, but it can vary videly even among families. You must vatch for varning signs for both of your ozer children, and let me know if you notice anyzing. All right?" he asked, showing his first sign of actual emotion all day. It made Harry instantly feel better about putting James in this man's care.

"Yes, of course I will. My children mean the world to me Healer Volchenkov, and I will do absolutely anything to save them."

"I know you vill," the man said seriously, laying a huge hand upon Harry's somewhat diminutive shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Hermione was surrounded by books, parchment, and potions, with only the very tip of her frizzy brown hair visible over the pile engulfing Harry and Ginny's living room. She had started researching in the study at Grimmauld Place, but soon ran out of room and moved her pedagogic monsoon to the largest room in the house. The place where the Potter family spent the majority of their time was now completely uninhabitable, but no one in the family minded in the slightest.

Two weeks had passed since James's diagnosis and, though he had been released from St. Mungo's, he was by no means out of the woods. He was getting progressively worse with each passing day, but since the Healers couldn't do anything without the blood of the curse caster, they had released him. He had to return to hospital twice weekly for a series of potions including Strengthening Solution, Muscle Knitter, Blood Replenishers, a special blend of Pepper-Up, and Skele-Gro, but other than that, he was free.

His family had wanted him to stay at Grimmauld Place and take it easy, but unsurprisingly James stubbornly refused. He didn't want to let his team down, especially since they were only four games away from the end of the season, and he refused to let this curse ruin his life before it possibly took it from him. Having long ago discovered the depths of James's stubbornness, his parents resigned themselves to his decision, but insisted on informing his Coach of his ailment (though they didn't tell him exactly how serious it was), and checking in on him once per day.

Other than his Coach, the only people who knew of his condition were his family members. Breaking the news to Al, Lily, Hermione, Ron, Arthur, Molly, and the cornucopia of cousins was one of the most difficult things Harry had ever had to do. Considering all of the difficult things he'd done in his life, that was really saying something. As expected, most of the family members burst into tears, particularly Lily, who had always idolized her eldest brother. She flung herself to him, hugging him in a death grip that would leave bruises, sobbing inconsolably. James had reassured her that they would find the castor and the cure, but only a few people in the room realized the fierce dedication in his voice stemmed from his need to spare the young redhead and the horror-struck brunet sitting next to her, rather than himself.

After hours of weighing the pros and cons, Harry, Ginny, and James had decided not to inform Albus and Lily of the genetic nature of the curse. They knew it was a risk; the younger children could wave off the initial symptoms as inconsequential just as James had, but they didn't want to cause them any further worries. Having them worry about James was more than enough. They did all vow to keep an exceedingly close eye on them, though, and had contacted Neville to ask for him to watch them while they were at school. They didn't tell Neville precisely why, but the Herbology Professor trusted them enough not to ask for a reason.

Since that devastating day when they broke the news, the entire family had rallied together, vowing to solve this mystery and provide as much moral support (and love in the form of food, in Molly's case) as possible. Now, it was the start of Christmas break and the entire troupe of Weasleys and Potters was at Grimmauld. James's last game of the season was tomorrow and everyone intended to go cheer him on, so they were having the mother of all sleepovers this evening. They had even convinced James to put his bachelor life on hold for an evening and rejoin the family in his childhood home. With him, Lily, Albus, Rose, Hugo, Louis, Dominique, Freddie, Roxie, Teddy, Victorie, and even Molly and Lucy all inhabiting the house for a night, complete chaos reigned supreme. Despite the torrent of activity, though, each and every kid was scrupulously careful to avoid the living room for fear of messing up Aunt Hermione's research. True, part of the motivation was Hermione's legendary lectures regarding 'respect for knowledge,' but most of the reason was that the topic of said research was far too important to take lightly.

"Any luck, love?" Ron asked sympathetically as he entered the room and took in the site of his wife squinting at an ancient tome, cross referencing a passage with some diagram spread out on the carpet. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun and she had ink stains covering her fingertips, as well as a few on her face, but to Ron, she had never looked more beautiful. Her dedication to her task and determination to save James, no matter how hard she had to work, made him fall in love with her all over again.

Hermione looked up with pain and disappointment in her eyes. "No," she sighed. "I've checked all of the Ministry heritage records, cast dozens of blood tracing spells-and before you say anything, Ron, I am well aware that most of them are considered borderline Dark but at this point I just don't give a damn! We _have_ to find out which monster cast this curse!" she growled, snapping her quill in half in her anger. "I just don't know what else to do," she moaned. "I've poured over the records of admission from every Wizarding school on Earth for the last 200 years, traced the Potter and Peverell family trees back ten centuries, and even read Charlus Potter's personal journal! They've all been dead ends! Everything I've found has supported the idea that Harry is the only living descendent, and has been since his father died. I can't find _anyone_ who shared Harry's blood!"

Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation, but she didn't feel Ron's strong, steady arms wrap around her in a comforting hug as he always did when she was upset. This caught her attention, and she turned to her husband, only to find him standing stock still, wide-eyed, and pale as a ghost. "Ron?" she asked in concern. "What's wrong? Ron?"

" _Shared_ Harry's blood! I can't believe I've been so _stupid!_ " he suddenly scowled, berating himself with a stern frown on his face. "Why didn't I think of it?"

"What? Think of what, Ron? Do you know who it is? Do you know who cast the curse?" Hermione asked with growing excitement.

"Yeah, I think I do," he gulped, rather forlornly for someone who had just possibly found the key to saving his nephew's life.

"Who!?" Hermione demanded, having become impatient for the answer to this conundrum.

"Voldemort," he sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Harry and Ginny sat on the worn but cushy Chesterfield that was the first item of furniture they purchased together after getting married. They clutched each other's hands, offering silent support to one another as Hermione and Ron nervously paced and hovered in front of them.

"What's going on, guys?" Harry asked bravely, showing his Gryffindor colors. When neither spoke, he continued. "Come on, we've been best friends for over thirty years, I think I can figure out when you need to tell me something by now."

"You're right, Harry," Hermione conceded with a sigh. "The thing is, we think we've figured out who cursed you. Well, Ron did, actually," she amended with a proud smile that made him blush to the tips of his ears.

"You have?!" Ginny exclaimed with a wide, hopeful smile. "That's great! We can save Jamie! Oh, Ron! You're a genius!" she exclaimed as she enveloped her big brother in a bone-crunching hug.

"No, no Gin, you don't understand," Ron said regretfully as he pried her gently off of him.

"What? What don't I understand?" she asked as the spark in her eyes dimmed at the hopeless look on Ron's face.

"We think it was Voldemort," he said hitchingly, shifting his eyes to his best friend, who had stood and moved to his wife's side.

"But…but Voldemort's…" Ginny stumbled, wide eyed as the awful realization hit her.

"Dead," Harry whispered as tears began to well in his eyes. "There's no way to get his blood. He turned to ash."

"Are you sure it was him?" Ginny asked with and edge of desperation.

"It makes sense," Hermione confirmed regretfully. "He was resurrected using Harry's blood, so he would share the bloodline, and he certainly hated him enough to curse him. Plus, he would have known that the most effective way to hurt you if he failed to kill you would be to take your family away…again."

"And he had plenty of opportunities to cast the actual curse, mate," Ron said to Harry. "During that final battle you two were flinging curses and shields so fast I couldn't even tell which spell was coming from which side. He could have easily slipped that one in without you noticing it."

"No," Ginny gasped. "No, this can't be true! It just can't be!" she shouted angrily. "It isn't fair! After all that we've been through, all that _you've_ been through Harry, all that we've lost…we can't lose Jamie too! Oh Merlin! We're going to lose them all! First Jamie, then Al, and finally little Lil…" she broke down sobbing, clutching to Harry, who had tears streaming down his face as well.

Hermione and Ron joined them in their tears, feeling like they had failed their best friends, and in despair at the thought of losing their nephews and niece.

None of them noticed the small ear on a string being slowly pulled back under the door by a stunned young curly haired brunet boy. "What…what did Aunt Ginny mean, all of you?" Hugo asked in a daze as he looked between his three Potter cousins.

The three under question were too shocked to respond, though. James knew that the curse would afflict his siblings, but he had hoped they would never have to learn that. He looked between the wide emerald eyes of his brother and the glassy shining chocolate ones of his sister, not knowing what to say.

"J-James?" Lily inquired hesitatingly.

James bit his lower lip, a sure sign that he was hiding something. Albus cocked an inky black eyebrow, calling him out on the Tell. "Alright," James relented. "The curse is a bloodline curse, it-"

"A bloodline curse?" Rose gasped, her tears overtaking her bright blue eyes. "But that means it will affect every single person of direct descent to the person who was cursed!"

"Yes, Rosie," James confirmed, averting his eyes to the floor.

"You knew about this?" Al asked accusingly. "You knew and you didn't tell us?"

"Al, I wasn't trying to keep you guys in the dark, I just…I didn't want you to worry about something that might not ever happen. I was so sure Aunt Hermione would figure this out; that we'd be able to make the cure before it struck either of you."

"But there is no cure," Lily pointed out with resignation and a constant flow of silent tears. "Like Dad said, there's no way to get Voldemort's blood for the potion. You're just going to keep getting sicker and then-"

"No," James scowled. "We're not just giving up! There's no way in Hades I'm going to just sit back and watch my baby bro and little sis die."

"I'm not a baby!" Albus grumbled, earning himself a ruffle of his perpetually disheveled hair from his big brother, and inadvertently breaking the depression and tension for a moment.

"I know, you little snake," James smirked before reverting to a serious look and wrapping his strong arms around his siblings' shoulders. "Listen guys, I don't know how, but I'm going to find a way to reverse this curse. If I have to go to the ends of the Earth, I swear to Merlin-"

"No!" Albus suddenly exclaimed, bolting out of James' embrace and drawing all eyes to him. "We don't have to traverse space to reverse the curse! We have to traverse _time_!"

"Al, you've got that mad scientist look on your face again," Rose pointed out to her best friend. "That usually leads to things exploding, or imploding, or disintegrating…"

"What are you thinking, Einstein?" Hugo asked, using his Muggle-based nickname for Al that he had come up with after learning about Albert Einstein in Muggle Studies the past year. He claimed it was perfect for his cousin since they were both named Al, both were completely revolutionary geniuses, both had limitless ambition, and both had crazy, untamable hair.

"The problem is that we need Voldemort's blood, right? But he's not alive, so we can't harvest it." The kids sitting around him all nodded in wary intrigue. "The solution, then, is simple!" he exclaimed, beaming like that statement should have made everything clear.

"Uh, Al, you're going to have to make it just a bit more transparent for us mere mortals," James mocked lightly.

Al's face fell for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "We have to get to Voldemort _before_ Dad kills him! All we have to do is go back in time!" His exuberant proclamation was met with confused, disbelieving stares and complete silence.

"Al…you do know that's impossible, right?" Rose asked as she laid a gentle, consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Nothing's impossible, Rosie!" he chastised with an interminable hopefulness in his voice.

"But how would we do it?" Lily asked, willing to put out a tendril of hope to her smart, sneaky brother.

"The only way to time travel that I know of is with Time Turners, like the one Mum had in her third year," Rose piped in. "They could only take someone back a few hours, though."

"Plus, they were all destroyed in the Department of Mysteries incident," Hugo added.

"You guys don't honestly believe that the Ministry hasn't developed _any_ other means of time travel, do you?" Al scoffed. "You think they let all the knowledge of the principles used in the Time Turners just go down the proverbial toilet? Just because they haven't told the public about a new temporal device, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I read about this temporal displacement device in the Quibbler that can transport people years back in time, even centuries!" he cried, once again getting excited at the prospect of tinkering with something as of yet beyond his understanding.

His cousins and siblings gave one another skeptical looks. "The Quibbler?" Rose asked, just managing to keep the derisive laugh from her voice.

"Yes, the Quibbler," Al retorted hotly. "I know Auntie Luna's a bit _out there_ , but she does do her research before she prints a story. After all, remember how our parents always thought Wrackspurts were just made-up figments of her imagination? Now the microscopic light reflective creatures are the main source of magical sedation at St. Mungos."

"Okay Al, even if there is some truth to this 'temporal displacement device,' how are we supposed to get to it? If it does exist, it's sure to be in the Department of Mysteries, and you know they've made their security impossible to crack, thanks to Dad and the DA. Even the Minister himself can't get in without a special order and a designated escort. Only Unspeakables can come and go as they please, and last time I checked, none of us were Unspeakables."

"No, we're not," he said with an almost evilly gleeful smirk that just screamed 'Slytherin Scheme in Progress,' "but Scorp's dad is."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _Scorp,_

 _Code Blue, family style. Initiate Protocol #217. Rendezvous at the darkest of the dark when the night meets the day._

 _I hate peas_

 _-Al_

Albus scanned the short missive for any errors before starting to roll the parchment up for his owl, Virgil, to deliver.

"Hey Al," Lily inquired, stopping her brother from rolling up the parchment. "What in the name of Merlin's saggy balls is that supposed to mean?"

"Lily!" James cried out in disbelief. "Watch your mouth!"

"What? I learned it from you," she pointed out nonchalantly.

" _Anyway_ ," Rose segued, "if we can get back to the matter at hand. What _does_ that letter mean?"

"It's our code, in case our mail ever gets intercepted. Basically I'm telling Scorp that we have the highest level emergency, that it pertains to my family, and that we have to take certain steps to fix it. In this case, Protocol #217 should be appropriate."

"You have pre-existing protocols for something like having to break into the Department of Mysteries and steal a time travel device?" Hugo asked with pure, innocent curiosity.

"Yeah," Al answered simply.

"Cool," was all Hugo replied, much to the astonishment of the others.

"And the rest of it?" Lily asked again, gesturing back to the letter.

"Oh, I told him to meet us in the basement of Grimmauld at midnight."

"I hate to admit it, but that's pretty clever," Rose conceded.

"Yeah, but why do you hate peas?" James asked in confusion.

"That's one of my special signoffs that proves to Scorp it's me who wrote the letter," he explained as an odd blush stained his cheeks. He looked quickly away from his brother's inquisitive look to seal the parchment and send it off.

The owl flew away just in time for the Silencing Spell to drop from the room and the group to hear their parents' footsteps approaching the hall where they were crouched. Immediately Rose and Al leapt for the couch in the sitting room, picking up the books they had been reading earlier, while Hugo and Lily scrambled for the chess set, moving a few pawns and rooks to make it seem as if they were deep into the game. James grabbed his playbook and spread it out on the floor, laying down in front of it to study the plays.

The adults did their best to look composed and act as if nothing had happened, not realizing that their kids were doing the exact same thing. The awkward silence was broken by Lucy Weasley's shout as she ran into the room being chased by Louis, who was holding a huge flobberworm in his outstretched hands, laughing maniacally, and for a moment, everything seemed normal again in the Potter-Weasley clan.

"Alright, off to bed everyone," Victorie commanded to a chorus of groans and protests a few hours later. "No, no complaints. No 'five more minutes' and no 'I'm too old to have a bedtimes.' We have to be up bright and early for James' big game tomorrow and if you are too tired to get up I will _not_ go to extreme lengths to wake you. I will leave your lazy arse in bed; even if it's you, James, who doesn't wake up on time," she added with a smirk.

James gave her a two-fingered salute but paired it with a genuine smile. He appreciated that Tori, despite knowing the full extent of his condition, still treated him as she always did; like an annoying younger brother. To say thanks, he helped her and Teddy round up all the youngins' and get them settled in beds and sleeping bags with cushioning charms on various floors throughout the house's many bedrooms.

Everyone was settled by 10:30 and the youngest of the family members were already soundly snoring away in dreamland. The adults of the family retired rather early as well, the stress of the day's revelation weighing heavily on their minds. Thus, by 11:30 everyone in the house was tucked away in his or her bedrooms. Everyone except James, Al, Lily, Hugo, and Rose, that is. At 11:50, they crept out of their respective rooms and silently made their way to the basement.

At precisely midnight the antique Floo flared green and Scorpius Malfoy stepped out of it with all of his inherited and learned grace. The towheaded boy was dressed in custom-made silk navy pajamas that brought out the flecks of blue in his gray eyes and his silver-blond hair was immaculate, despite it being the middle of the night.

"How do you do it?" Rose spat in exasperation, throwing her hands in the air.

"Do what, my darling Rose?" Scorpius inquired in his smooth, cultured voice.

"Always keep your hair so bloody perfect!" she growled, grabbing at her own frizzy, knotted, pile of flaming red hair that resembled a bird's nest on fire at the present moment.

"Ah, that, my dear, is a Malfoy trade secret," he winked, earning groans from most of the rest of the group.

"Alright, stuff the socialite routine Malfoy, we've got business to attend to here," James interrupted, earning himself the same amalgamation of a smirk and genuine smile that Scorpius had always given to him when they were in school.

"Yes, quite right James," Scorpius agreed, a determined serious look coming over his face. "Al, you said Protocol #217, right?" he asked with a burning spark in his eyes.

"Yes, I believe that one will do quite nicely," Al answered; the same strangely intense look in his green eyes.

"What exactly is Protocol #217?" Lily asked them before they could launch into one of their legendary planning/scheming sessions during which the entire rest of the world seemed to escape their notice.

"Protocol #217 refers to the plan in which we replicate the appearance and magical signature of one of our parents or siblings in order to gain access to a place we are usually forbidden from entering," Al answered. "In this case, Scorp's Dad is the target subject."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Replicate the magical signature? You can do that?" James asked, astounded.

"Of course," Al shrugged. "Why?"

James just grumbled under his breath and shook his head in exasperation. "Bloody sneaky genius," could be heard amongst the muttering.

"How?" Rose demanded eagerly, with just a hint of jealousy coloring her enthusiastically inquisitive tone.

"We'll show you when we do it," Scorpius promised. "First, though, we need to brew some Polyjuice to replicate Dad's appearance."

"Uh, Scorp, we're on a bit of a tight timeframe here," Al explained, laying his hand on the slightly taller boy's shoulder.

"Oh, of course, Code Blue," he said insouciantly. Anyone who didn't know him well would never have picked up on the flash of concern on his face and the probing look that he gave to his best friend. However, seeing as Al and Scorp had been inseparable since they sat next to one another at the Slytherin table right after the Sorting, all of the Potter and Weasley children were well acquainted with the boy's subtle shows of emotion. Al looked at his family members questioningly. When James gave him a small nod, and everyone else followed, he released the breath he had been holding.

"I'll tell you what's up after we flush out the plan, ok?" Al asked with a hint of nervousness.

"Sure, Al," Scorp replied understandingly, and with utmost sincerity. The 16 year old was known for his composure and sometimes dubbed as emotionally cold, but those who truly knew him realized how inaccurate that assessment was. Scorpius Malfoy felt things intensely, be it joy, sorrow, anger, or love. It was partly because he felt things so strongly that he displayed such rigid control to the world.

"So, what are we going to do about the Polyjuice?" Lily butted in, sensing the need to lighten the mood.

"It's not a problem. I'll just purchase some ready-made and we can add one of my Dad's hairs."

"Says the spoilt millionaire," Rose quipped, giving her friend her usual good-natured ribbing about his family's wealth.

Scorpius narrowed his eyes at her. "Shut it, peasant," he snipped back with a toss of his perfect hair. The pair glared at one another for a few moments before both bursting out into laughter.

"Ok, so the appearance is taken care of, next we have to figure out how to steal your Dad's wand," Al explained, earning goggled, gaping looks from the crowd.

"We're going to steal _Draco Malfoy's_ wand?" Hugo squeaked, his deep blue eyes widening to the size of saucers.

"You're both barmy!" James exclaimed. "He's probably got a hundred anti-theft hexes on that thing!"

"It's the only way," Al said resolutely. "No matter what it takes, Jamie, we're going to get that wand for you."

"For _all_ of you," Rose amended with fierce determination. Hugo nodded deeply in agreement.

Seeing the determination in their eyes, Scorpius picked up the plan where Al had left off. "It won't be easy, but I don't think it will be as dangerous as you imagine, James. See, my father actually has two wands; the one he uses everyday, and the one he first got when he went to Hogwarts. He keeps the original in the safe in his study, and _that's_ the wand we're going to take."

From the mischievous sparkle in the teenager's gray eyes, it was clear he had cunning plan about how to do so already worked out. "Very well," James feigned a resigned sigh. "What's the plan?" he added with his trademark Maurader spirit shining through his tired eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **WARNING: This chapter contains slash. I have edited it to fit the regulations of this site, so it isn't very graphic, but if you don't want to read it then you have been warned.**

 **Also, italics signify a flashback in this chapter.**

 **Thanks!**

It took the group two and a half hours to formulate a plausible final plan to acquire the time travel device from the Department of Mysteries. Each teen had a key role to play, but none so dangerous as that of Scorpius. Due to the similarities between him and his father's appearance and magical signature, it was determined that he would be the best person to actually infiltrate the Ministry. That way, if the Polyjuice or Magical Signature Replication faded or failed earlier than planned, the deception wouldn't immediately be glaringly obvious. Those precious few moments could give one just enough time to hide or escape should something go wrong. James and Al had both objected to Scorpius going in, seeing as this was a Potter family problem and Scorpius already had the stigma of his father and grandfather's past mistakes hanging over his family's head; being charged with breaking into the Department of Mysteries and stealing a top secret time travel device was the last thing the young Malfoy needed. However, the blond insisted it was the most logical choice. Once Rose and Hugo agreed with his logic argument, there was no refuting it.

Draco Malfoy was, thankfully, scheduled to take his wife Astoria on their annual trip to Brittany, France, to visit her parents, in just four days. Scorpius usually went with them, but he could easily weasel his way out of the trip by claiming that he was working on yet another 'special project' for school that could not be left unattended. In fourth year the boy had told his father that he had been selected for a new Scholar's Program that Hogwarts was offering, which allowed him to take on exclusive research projects for extra credit and accolades. The fib had proven a useful ruse to cover the boy's penchant for conducting risky experiments, spending time with Al, and getting out of boring aristocratic gatherings and functions. Draco had been beaming with such pride that he didn't look too closely at the (excellently) forged official letter explaining the program. The fact that Al and Rose had also claimed acceptance into the program didn't hurt the veracity of the story either.

So once everyone had, albeit reluctantly, agreed that Scorp would be the one to infiltrate the Department of Mysteries, everyone else was assigned their roles according to their core strengths. Rose would be in charge of researching everything she could find pertaining to time travel and the pitfalls they should try to avoid to hopefully keep the universe from imploding, playing to her love of knowledge and unparallel ability to understand convoluted an ancient texts. Lily was assigned the task of keeping their parents from catching on to what they were up to, relying on her status as "Daddy's Little Girl" and her superhuman charm and powers of seemingly innocent persuasion.

Hugo would be in charge of figuring out the actual device once Scorpius obtained it, since they sincerely doubted it would come with a convenient instruction manual. Hugo was a certified mechanical genius, having inherited his mother's raw intelligence, his grandfather's fascination of Muggle objects, and his father's gift for seeing how pieces affected one another. The young boy was so good with mechanics that at barely 14 he was already a millionaire thanks to his invention of a wizarding music device that rivaled Muggle iPods, only Hugo's device had no limits on the amount of songs one could save, and they also included a visual immersion option that put the user into the performance of the song, much like a Pensieve memory. Within a few months of figuring out the mechanics and spells, the device was selling out of his Uncle's store, and he had multiple offers for worldwide distribution. By the end of the year, nearly every wizard and witch under the age of 30 owned one. Hugo barely touched the profits though, save to help his grandparents fix up the Burrow and buy a lifetime supply of candy from Honeydukes. He was still a somewhat quiet, modest, boy who always had a smile on his face and was always looking for the mext mechanical puzzle to solve. Thus, the group had no doubt that Hugo would be able to figure out how to operate the time travel device.

Al was acting as the mastermind of the plan, a role he played more often than not in life. The boy was a natural planner (schemer many would say), and had a gift for coming up with unusual plans, contingencies for all possible scenerios, and quick improvisional thinking. He was also amazingly intelligent, as his stellar grades showed, though his brain tended towards the more strategic and innovative than Rose's epic book smarts. He was the only one who stood a chance against Uncle Ron and Hugo in a chess match, but he was more of a natural born leader than either of them, a trait he had seemed to get from his father. It was one of the, admittedly few, characteristics that he shared with his brother James.

The eldest boy was known for his courage, loud, outgoing nature, staggering skills on a Quidditch pitch, and ability to make friends with virtually anyone. People were drawn to James like moths to a flame, and he was easily the most popular boy in the school while he was at Hogwarts. It was because of this talent that he was assigned the task of distracting anyone present at the Ministry while Scorpius snuck into the Department. He could cativate the employees and distract them with one of his boisterous tales, hopefully long enough for Scorpius to get in and out unnoticed.

With the plan set, the group disbanded, heading to their respective rooms for the remainder of the night. Scorpius followed Al to his room, knowing that the boy would make good on his promise to explain exactly what had brought about the necessity for an emergency plan in the first place. Al shut and warded the door before sitting heavily down onto his plush Queen sized bed. Scorpius immediately sat right next to him, crossing his legs so that their knees were just touching.

"What's going on?" he asked softly as he took Al's rough hands into his smooth ones, knowing that the dark haired boy would never have used 'Code Blue' if it wasn't truly an imperative emergency. Al took a deep, shaky breath before raising his stunning green eyes to meet Scorp's stormy gray ones.

"James is dying," he nearly whispered, his lower lip shaking slightly.

"What?" Scorpius breathed out in horrified astonishment.

"It's a curse," Al explained as tears began to fill his eyes.

"Oh Merlin! Al, I'm so sorry, _mon couer_ ," he said, immediately pulling him into a tight hug and rocking him gently as he petted his unruly hair. Al had lost the last shred of his composure and broke down into tears and sobs, soaking the expensive silk of Scorpius' pajamas. Despite the aristocratic attitude that Scorpius was expected to project to the public as a Malfoy, in reality he couldn't care less about things like fine imported silk or making the right connections. The only things the youngest Malfoy heir truly cared about were becoming a Healer, and the young man falling apart in his arms. Ever since he had first met Al, he had been the center of his world.

 _When Scorpius had started at Hogwarts, he was scared out of his mind. His father had told him all about the expectations that came with being a Malfoy; maintaining a respectable standard of class, high achieving, being a leader, and not bowing down to anyone, but he had also warned him of the hostile attitude that many people had towards the family ever since they had supported Voldemort in the Second Wizarding War. Draco had never held things back from his son regarding the mistakes he had made in the War, hoping to teach his son how to avoid making similar mistakes, but he had shielded his son from the actual fallout. Scorpius rarely left the grounds of the Manor throughout his childhood, unless it was to visit his mother's relatives in France, and he had been forbidden from attending Wizarding Primary School with the other children his age. He had been home schooled and, thus, was a bit skittish around others. When he received his Hogwarts letter, his Father originally said he shouldn't attend. Draco had intended to hire the best private tutors to train his son for the OWLs and NEWTs, but Scorpius opposed him in a rare show of temper. Astoria agreed with their son, and Draco finally relented._

 _On that first day at the train station, Scorpius put on his bravest, most self-assured (somewhat haughty) face, modeling it after the one he saw Draco wear on the rare occasions that people visited the Manor. After all, he had to show his father that he could handle this, that he hadn't made a mistake in letting him go to Hogwarts. Inside, though, he was terrified. His father had said people might be mean to him, that they might hate him for what his grandfather and Draco had done. He told him to be especially wary of Gryffindors, and some people named Weasley and Potter._

 _His fear, and his inexperience in social situations, led him to be aloof and defensive on the train. He holed up in an empty compartment, chasing away everyone who tried to come into the space. Finally, a group of fifth years refused to leave, claiming he was in 'their' compartment. One of them, by the name of Ethan Wood, must have recognized his features and announced that he was 'one of those traitorous Malfoy's.' The group began calling him names, saying horrible things about his father, and messing up his impeccable clothes and hair. Scorpius had run out of the compartment and hid in the bathroom for the rest of the trip._

 _When he arrived at Hogwarts, he was met with contemptuous stares, whispers, and pointing. He retreated into himself, thinking that he should have listened to his father and been home schooled. Clearly no one wanted him here, and he would never fit in. He vowed to write to his father that evening and ask him to come get him. He knew he would do it, so he just had to get through this awful feast and then he would be free. When he was called up to be Sorted, he nervously traversed the seemingly endless walkway and sat precariously on the stool. The Sorting Hat knew of the boy's fears and his plans to leave, but tried to convince him that there was a place for him here at Hogwarts. "And that place," the Hat said, "is in SLYTHERIN!"_

 _The announcement was met with grumbles, notably from the Gryffindor table, but a few members of the Slytherin table gave him a polite round of applause. With trembling legs, Scorpius approached the green and silver table, taking a tentative seat at the furthest end of the bench, far away from any of the other members of the house. Two more first years were sorted, a girl named Morgan McGuinness who went to Ravenclaw, and a boy named Ronnie Peterson, who went to Hufflepuff, before Albus Potter was called up, and a hush fell over the crowd. The tiny black haired boy looked almost as nervous as Scorpius had, but he had a determined look on his face. The Hat was silent for nearly 7 minutes, but the Potter boy was speaking fervently in soft whispers the entire time. He seemed to be having a very intense discussion with the Hat. Finally, though, the boy shook his head in seeming resignation, and the Hat announced "SLYTHERIN!"_

 _The hall was stunned silent, then the Gryffindor table erupted in protests and angry shouts. An older boy who resembled the one on the stool stood up and immediately walked straight up to the stool, ignoring the objections of the stern-looking Headmistress. He leaned down to whisper to the boy, who Scorpius could only assume was his brother, and gripped his shoulders securely. They had an intense discussion for a few moments before the older boy pulled the younger into a fierce hug and gave him a loving and protective smile. The younger boy returned the smile with a bright one of his own before striding confidently to the Slytherin table._

 _Much to Scorpius' surprise, the boy sat down right next to him. "Hi," he said as he thrust his hand out towards the blonde, "I'm Albus Potter, but my friends call me Al. What's your name?"_

 _Scorpius looked at him warily for a moment, ignoring the outstretched hand. After all, this boy was a Potter, one of the people his father had specifically warned him would despise him. Once he learned that Scorpius was a Malfoy, he was sure to turn on him. "I'm Scorpius," he muttered, looking at his lap._

" _Nice to meet you, Scorp," Albus replied, clapping him on the back in lieu of the handshake. The blonde jerked his head up to stare into the boy's strangely enchanting green eyes with bewilderment. No one had ever called him by a nickname. He hated to admit it, but he kind of liked it. "Are you nervous?" Albus asked once the blonde was looking at him. "It's okay if you are," he continued. "I was really nervous too, especially when the Hat said I should be in Slytherin. See, everyone in my family's in Gryffindor and you know that Slytherin and Gryffindor are rivals, so I was really scared about being put in this house. My brother had been teasing me about it since I got my letter," he explained with barely a breath._

" _Was that him up there with you?" Scorpius asked, his curiosity overpowering his nervousness._

" _Yeah, it was. His name is James. He's a third year, and the most popular boy in school. I thought he was going to yell at me, or tell me how he knew it and didn't want to be my brother anymore, but he just said that we would always be brothers, no matter which houses we were in, and that he was sure I'd do great in Slytherin. Then he said that I was probably too smart for Gryffindor anyway, and he was proud of me for being brave enough to be unique and be the first Potter to break out of the box. So now I'm thinking maybe Slytherin won't be so bad after all. Besides, my Dad said the bravest man he ever knew was a Slytherin. I was named after him," he said proudly._

" _Really? I figured you were named after Albus Dumbledore, the former Headmaster. My Father told me about him," Scorpius answered._

" _Oh, I was, but I was also named after Severus Snape, the former Head of Slytherin House. That's my middle name; Severus."_

" _I see," Scorpius answered, suddenly confused. His Father had told him about Severus Snape as well. He had been his father's Godfather, and he had loved him dearly. He had told Scorpius that Severus was the only person who had ever cared about him as an individual, and he was the one who had taught him all about Potions, his current area of expertise as an Unspeakable. But why would a Potter name his kid after Severus Snape? From what his father had said, the Potters hated the Malfoys, and everything associated with them. Wouldn't that include his father's Godfather? His musings were interrupted by Al's next attempt to draw him out of his shell._

" _What's your middle name?"_

" _Hyperion," he whispered with a cringe. He hated his middle name; it was so old fashioned. Not that his first name was much better._

" _Hyperion? That's weird," Al commented._

" _He was a Greek Titan, I'll have you know" Scorpius bristled back defensively, regaining some of the Malfoy pride his father had instilled in him._

" _Oh yeah? Cool! I love mythology! I've never read about Hyperion, though. Do you have any books about him?" All asked, his face alight._

" _You like to read?" Scorpius asked in surprise. In his limited interactions with his father's friends' kids, he had found that most of them couldn't care less about books or learning._

" _I love it!" Al exclaimed, digging in a bag that he had been carrying and bringing out a thick tome about the Renaissance. "This is the book I was reading on the train. It has some great stories about the progress made in medicinal magic during the time, and how that affected art and politics."_

 _Scorpius stared at him, wide-eyed, mouth hanging open. He knew he probably looked like a landed fish and his Father would be appalled at his lack of grace, but he couldn't help it. He'd never met anyone who shared his interest in history, let alone medicine throughout history. Even his well educated Mother couldn't understand his fascination with the subject._

" _I know," Albus said with a dejected tone, "You probably think I'm a total dork now, just like everyone else does."_

" _No!" Scorpius nearly shouted, drawing a few questioning looks from his tablemates. "I think it's brilliant! I've always loved learning about medicine. I want to be a Healer when I grow up," he explained._

 _Al's face blossomed into a wide smile at hearing that. "Really? That's awesome! I think we're going to be great friends, Scorp. Uh, if you want to, that is," he added as he noticed the blonde's shy smile falter._

" _I…I do," Scorpius confirmed hesitatingly. "It's just that…well…I don't think you'll still want to be my friend when you learn who I am."_

" _Who you are? What do you mean?" Al asked, perplexed._

" _My last name is Malfoy. I'm Draco Malfoy's son," he mumbled, fumbling his hands nervously and bracing himself for the scathing rejection._

" _So?" Al simply asked._

" _So? What do you mean, so? My Father said your family hates mine!"_

" _He did? Why would he say that?" Al questioned._

" _He said that my grandfather and he were on the…the_ other _side of the war. The one your Dad fought against," he whispered._

" _But that was like twenty years ago," Al pointed out. "Besides, my Dad said yours wasn't_ really _bad, he just got caught up in things that were too big for him, whatever that means," he shrugged. "Anyway, I don't see what it has to do with us being friends anyway. We didn't fight in the war."_

" _Yeah, I guess that's true. You really don't care?" he inquired, unsure if he should trust the boy or if this could be some sort of trick._

" _Of course not. All I care about is if you're a good person or not, and if you're fun to hang out with. So far, it seems like you are. For both," he said with a smile. "So what do you say, do you want to be friends?"_

" _Yes, I do," Scorpius said, showing off his first smile since he boarded the Hogwarts Express that morning._

Al's sobs subsided after a few moments and he pulled himself together. "I'm sorry, Scorp," he sniffled as he pulled back slightly from the blonde's embrace.

"You don't have to apologize," he chided lightly. "He's your brother, I don't blame you for crying. I almost feel like crying myself."

"Yeah, well, you always did have a crush on him," Al teased.

"I did not!" he cried, crossing his arms over his chest, as if affronted by the very suggestion.

Al raised a skeptical eyebrow, very much resembling his Slytherin namesake, unbeknownst to him. "Oh really? Then why did you follow him around like a lost little puppy for the entirety of our first year?"

"I was 11 and he had saved me from getting my arse kicked by a group of seventh years! Of course I followed him around. It was a matter of personal safety," he explained logically.

"Uh-huh. And the look of adoration? That was a matter of 'personal safety' as well?" he smirked.

"Ok, so maybe I had a touch of hero worship, but that isn't the same thing as a crush," he conceded.

"What's the difference?" Al asked, still enjoying teasing that delicate blush out of the alabaster skinned boy.

"The difference is I never wanted to kiss the breath out of James. I never wanted to push him down on a bed and fuck him through the mattress. I never wanted to bring him to the brink of absolute bliss and keep him there until he begged me to let him come, then watch him fall apart as he screamed my name in utter abandon," he purred seductively. " _That_ privilege has always been reserved for a different Potter."

Al moaned as his pupils dilated with desire and a shiver ran down his neck where Scorpius' breath had tickled him during his tauntingly hot description. "Scorp," he practically begged before grabbing him by his pajama collar and attacking his lips with his own. The blonde responded with alacrity, parting his lips and thrusting his tongue into Al's willing mouth. He rolled the green-eyed boy over onto his back, pushing him down onto the bed and covering his body with his own slimmer form. Al ran his hands through Scorp's hair, taking a perverse pleasure in messing up the perpetually perfect strands. He was the only person allowed to touch his hair, a point Al took particular pride in.

Scorp moved his lips to the soft skin of Al's neck, licking a line down to his collarbone. He moved his hands under the ragged worn t-shirt that Al had been wearing to bed for the last two years, caressing every inch of heated skin he encountered. Al felt supremely cherished every time Scorp did this, like his body was a priceless sculpture and Scorp was the artist, basking in his work. The blonde went to lift the shirt over the brunette's head, but paused, looking intently into his eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this? Now, I mean?" he inquired, worried about the circumstances and Al's despair.

"Yes," Al breathed with determination blazing in his eyes. "Please Scorp, I'll finish explaining afterwards, but right now I just want to forget. Just for a little while."

Scorpius nodded in understanding, then returned to his ministrations, lifting the tattered Chudley Cannons shirt over his boyfriend's head. He took extra care to show him how much he loved him, kissing his way down his toned chest to the trail of coarse black hair that disappeared into his dark blue cotton pants. He ran his fingers teasingly along the waistband, but was pulled up into a heated kiss before he could proceed. Al unbuttoned Scorp's pajama top as he ravished his mouth and pushed up against his hips.

The blonde teased his boyfriend until he could no longer take it and was begging for him. Scorp smiled before taking pity on the brunette. "Well, that can certainly be arranged," he rumbled as he leaned over to the bedside dresser and rummaged around the top drawer. He pulled out a container with a Weasley Wizarding Weezes XXX label on it, quickly removed his bottoms and pants, and scooped out some of the shimmering opalescent gel, which was specially designed to subtly massage the skin with tiny vibrations, and groaned at the effect it had on him. "Shit, your Uncle is a fucking genius, Al," he growled in pleasure.

"I know, right? It's kind of scary how good he is at making lubes, considering he's straight," he chuckled.

"After feeling this, I'm not so sure he is," Scorp commented, reeling as the feeling intensified.

"Hey! He's married! With kids!" Al countered.

"Just saying," Scorp smirked before he got back to business, kissing Al breathless as he began preparing him.

"Enough Scorp, I'm ready. Please, please, fuck me," Al begged.

"No, Al," Scorpius said seriously, breaking the brunette from his lust-induced daze for a moment. He looked up at the blonde questioningly. "Tonight, I want to make love to you," Scorpius answered the unasked question.

"Oh Merlin, yes," Al moaned, sealing his lips over his lover's in a soft yet passionate embrace that soon evolved into much more.

Scorpius collapsed on top of his dark haired beauty, struggling to catch his breath and reign in his racing heart. Al threw his arms around him and held him tightly as they came down from their respective highs. Once Scorp was able to breathe almost normally again, he placed a series of soft, sweet kisses on Al's lips, gently pushing the messy sweaty locks out of his eyes. Al focused his emerald eyes on Scorp's mysterious gray ones, smiling tiredly up at him.

"I love you Al," Scorp said with the utmost sincerity.

"I love you too, my angel," Al affirmed, tightening his hold on him.

With one more kiss, Scorp rolled off of Al and grabbed his wand, which had been hidden in an expanded pocket of his pajama bottoms, and cast a Scourify to clean them both up.

They wrapped their arms back around one another, before Scorp began gently stroking Al's face again. "So, do you want to tell me about James?" he asked softly.

"I should," he sighed, gathering his resolve and launching into the tale. He told Scorp everything, but he had intended to leave out the part about him and Lily eventually being affected. Scorp was a fantastic boyfriend, but he was fiercely protective of Al, and he knew he would lose it if he heard there was a chance he could die. Unfortunately, the Malfoys had an enormous library filled with dark arts tomes. Although Scorp never practiced anything in the books, his natural curiosity drove him to read everything he could get his hands on, so naturally that included the books in his own family's library. Thus, the moment he heard the words "bloodline curse" he deduced that Lily, who he thought of as the little sister he never had, and his very own boyfriend were at risk, along with his childhood hero, James. In one fell swoop, Scorp could lose almost everyone that he cared about.

Al saw the anger flicker in his boyfriend's eyes, and braced himself for the diatribe. To his shock, though, the yelling never came. Instead, Scorp just tightened his hold on him and kissed him soundly. "We'll get the cure, _mon couer_ , I promise you we will," he vowed with a stubborn determination to rival that of Godric Gryffindor himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Al was dragged out of his slumber by an annoying, persistent banging sound. He clutched the pillow tight to his head, hoping whatever was making the infernal racket would just go away and he could return to resting in the loving warmth of Scorp's arms.

"Al!" Rose's soft mezzo voice called out. "Al, get up."

"Ungh," he groaned sleepily. "G'way," he muttered, burrowing his head back into Scorp's shoulder.

"For Merlin's sake," Rose muttered. There were a few moments of silence, during which Al deduced that Rose must have given up and buggered off. He smiled, clutching his covers tighter to him and prepared to drift back into his dreams when he heard a series of tell-tale clicks signaling the unlocking of his wards.

"Oh fuck!" he cried, glancing over at the naked angelic god sleeping peacefully next to him. He tossed the covers off of himself and leapt out of bed, turning to throw the covers over Scorp's head. Then he began frantically searching for his pants. "Where the hell did they-"

"Merlin's beard, Al!" Rose exclaimed in horror, covering her eyes with her hand to block the full view of her cousin's naked arse as he bent down to look under the bed. "Put on some pants before I go blind!"

"I'm trying," he snapped back, finally finding the boxers in question peeking out from the bottom of the bed. He snatched them and shuffled quickly into them. "Alright, I'm decent."

"Thank Merlin," the redhead breathed.

"Well if you hadn't broken into my room you wouldn't have been subjected to the horror of my naked arse!" he grumbled angrily. "How did you get past my wards anyway?"

"True, but if I hadn't broken in here now then it could have been your mum or dad subjected to it. And I taught you most of those ward spells."

"Damn," he swore under his breath, realizing she was right. "As for my Mum or Dad walking in? So? They're my parents. They diapered this arse," Albus retorted smugly.

"Yes, but I sincerely doubt they diapered Scorp's as well," Rose parried back with a smirk.

Al's eyes widened and he flinched with the effort of trying not to turn around to see if Scorp had rolled free of the covers in the last few minutes. "Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked, trying to sound derisive rather than terrified.

"Come on, Al," Rose replied with a mixture of censure and sympathy. "I've known that you and Scorp share more than just friendship since I was twelve years old. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. In fact, I'm glad you found someone who loves you for who you are, not just your last name. There's really no reason to hide it."

"Twelve?! We didn't even start dating until we were fourteen!" Al scoffed, then immediately clapped his hand over his mouth. "I shouldn't have said that," he muttered as Rose chuckled.

"Come on out, Scorp," Rose commanded laughingly. "Both literally and figuratively," she added smartly.

Scorp tossed the covers off of his head sharply. "You're a regular Master of Deception, Al," he grumbled, giving his boyfriend an annoyed glare. "How you ever got into Slytherin is beyond me."

Rose burst out laughing, perplexing both of the boys.

"What?" Scorpius asked in confusion.

"Your hair!" she spat out, pointing at his fine silvery blonde locks, which were standing on end, strongly resembling a fuzzy dandelion. "I _knew_ it couldn't be perfect all the time!" she boasted.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Medusa. At least my hair only looks like a bunch of angry snakes when I first wake up. Yours resembles it in perpetuity," he shot back.

Rose simply smirked, enjoying their traditional trading of teasing insults. "As much as I'd like to engage in our usual witty repartee, if you two don't get dressed and downstairs before the adults, say in the next twenty minutes or so, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are probably going to start asking some uncomfortable questions about what exactly you're doing sharing a bed."

"Fuck, good point," Al conceded. "Thanks Rosie, I owe you one."

"No you don't," she assured him as she turned to leave, pausing by the door and turning to look back at them. "You _both_ owe me one." With a smug smile and a wink she headed out and re-warded the door.

"Sorry, Scorp," Al apologized sheepishly as he turned back towards his boyfriend.

"I know, Love," Scorp sighed. "You didn't mean to out us, it's just early and you haven't had your coffee yet."

"True," Al agreed, accepting the comforting embrace that the blonde was now offering him. They hugged briefly, knowing anything more in such a state of undress would lead to a delay they just didn't have time for right now.

"She was unexpectedly supportive, though, wasn't she?" Scorpius asked as he breathed in the musky vanilla tinted scent of Albus Potter.

"Yeah, she really was. Maybe it won't be as bad as we imagined when we finally come out to the rest of our families." Al proposed.

"Perhaps, though something tells me my Father won't be quite so lackadaisical about his only son and heir being a shirtlifter," Scorpius replied, trying to sound insouciant, but failing to suppress a worried waiver in his voice.

"Well, he'll just have to learn to accept it, because neither angry Antipodean Opaleye nor mad Manticore could keep me away from you, my angel," Al swore.

Scorpius smiled one of his closely guarded genuine smiles and kissed Al softly. "Thank you, _mon couer._ I'd face down every Dementor in Azkaban to be with you."

They shared one more passion-filled kiss before breaking apart and quickly getting ready for the match. By the time the adults had come downstairs at 6:30 am, they were both seated at the table digging into bowls of _Treacle Treats_ cereal.

"Scorpius!" Ginny exclaimed as she saw his bright blonde head bent over the Culture section of the _Daily Prophet_. "I didn't know you were here already. I thought you were meeting us at 7:30 for the Portkey."

"Good morning Mrs. Potter," Scorpius replied politely. "I'm sorry if my early arrival is problematic-" he began contritely.

"Oh, don't be silly, sweetheart, you're always welcome here," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I'm just amazed that anyone was up to greet you; especially this lazy sod," she mocked with a gesture towards her youngest son.

"Mum!" Al protested, spilling some of his milk onto the book he was reading.

"I'm just teasing, Allie, you know that," she explained, ruffling his hair, much to his chagrin.

"Allie?" Scorp asked with a barely restrained smile.

"Shut it," Al growled, evoking a laugh form the other boy before he turned back to his sugary cereal.

"Good Morning Aunt Ginny," Rose greeted as she breezed into the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the fruit tray and breaking out her Arithmancy textbook.

"Did I make a wrong turn?" Ron's groggy voice boomed from the doorway. "I was looking for the kitchen but apparently I've stumbled into the library."

"Ha-ha Dad, very funny," Rose deadpanned as she rolled her eyes at him. His only response was to place a kiss on her temple and reach over her to grab one of the cinnamon rolls Ginny had just pulled out of the magically modified oven, which cooked food in Muggle appliances in 1/10th of the time it would usually take. Yet another of his son's brilliant inventions. He popped the entire bun into his mouth, only to gasp and spit it out immediately. It bounced past his daughter and came to a rolling stop on top of Scorp's paper, finally breaking the boy's immersion in the article he was reading.

Rose and Al burst out laughing as Ron stuck out his singed tongue and tried to wave air on it to cool it down. Scorpius knew it was in poor manners to laugh at the head of someone else's household when you were a guest, so he restrained his own urge to laugh, but he couldn't help smiling in amusement.

"Ron!" Ginny admonished as she eyed the expelled bun. "You just wasted a perfectly good cinnamon roll."

"It uz 'ot," he whined, still fanning his tender tongue.

"Well of course it was hot, you dolt, it just came out of the oven!" Ginny retorted, shaking her head.

"What did I miss?" Hermione asked as she entered the room and took in the chuckling children and annoyed sister-in-law.

"Ron being a berk," Ginny tossed out.

"Ey!" he tried to protest.

"What did you do now, Ron?" Hermione needled fondly.

"I ied oo ee a oll," he began to explain, only to be met with a confused look from his wife.

"He tried to eat one of the rolls before they had cooled, Mrs. Weasley," Scorpius answered for him.

"Oh, that explains it," she replied, pulling out her wand to perform a healing charm on her husband's mouth. "Thank you for clarifying, Scorpius."

"You're welcome."

Harry and the rest of the kids had filtered into the kitchen by the time 7:15 rolled around and then the kitchen started filling with other Weasleys until it was a bustling center of activity. James departed first, already clad in his Cannons uniform, to a chorus of well wishes and Ron's enthusiastic cheers. The rest of the kids donned their varied supportive gear, from Cannons jerseys to hats and even, in Lily's case, Cannons socks, bright orange hair, and a hat with a functioning mini cannon that was charmed to shoot every time the team scored. At 8 am exactly, they all crowded around two partially crushed pop bottles, being swept away to the site of the match.

Ron and Hermione caught Harry before he could fall over on impact, still not being entirely comfortable with Portkeys, while Ginny reached out for Lily, who had unfortunately inherited her father's utter lack of grace during transport. Some rabid fans were already at the pitch, despite the fact that the match wouldn't begin for three hours, but the Weasley/Potter group was by far the largest one in attendance. They made their way to their private box, having to stop a few times to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Once they had settled in, the elders of the group took orders for snacks and went to the concession stands. Teddy and Victorie were charged with keeping an eye on the children; a daunting task to say the least.

Thankfully, though, five of them were preoccupied discussing something, rather intensely. Teddy instinctively knew hushed whispers amongst the Al, Lily, Hugo, Rose, and Scorpius would lead to trouble, but if he was lucky, whatever scheme they were planning wouldn't be executed until the other adults were back and it would be primarily their problem. After all, he had his hands full with Freddie, the legendary prankster, even at 20 years old, giving Domi, Roxie, Louis, Molly, and Lucy ideas on how to cause trouble. After he had stopped Lucy from slipping Babbling Butterscotches into the Assistant Minister for Magic's butterbeer when he stopped by to say hello and prevented Louis from using his Veela allure on the 25 year old cheerleader who had been chasing James for a year, he was almost ready to abdicate his honorary big brother status in the Potter family.

Thankfully the parents arrived back just before Victorie had to _Stupify_ Domi to stop her from hexing a Tornados fan in the box next to them. The kids all settled down (somewhat) at that point, although that could have had more to do with the introduction of junk food to concentrate on than the presence of their guardians. Before long, the match began and James flew out onto the field to a deafening roar from the crowd. He gave his family a wink and a wave as he flew by them, noting the thinly veiled worry in his parents' eyes. Everyone was trying their best to be strong and present a positive front to the kids, but James knew that last night's discovery of the source of the curse had hit his parents hard.

He wanted to assuage their fears, to tell them they had a plan to get the blood needed for the cure, but he knew his parents would never let them go through with it. Aunt Hermione would insist on appealing to the Minister to get permission to use the time travel device, and they would all forbid the kids from doing the actual time travel. They would certainly all want to go themselves, and although they had all survived a major war and were now accomplished fighters, especially Dad and Uncle Ron who fought evil every day as Aurors, James didn't want any of them to have to risk their lives once again. He especially didn't want them to have to face Voldemort again. His Dad still had nightmares about that time in his life, and even his Mum woke up on occasion crying in fear from her time with Tom Riddle's diary in the Chamber of Secrets. He was sure the same could be said for Aunt Hermione, who wore a glamour to cover up the carving of "Mudblood" in her arm, and Uncle Ron, who still only wore short sleeves around immediate family thanks to the scarring from the brain attack in the Department of Mysteries. Which, of course, brought another point to light. Under no circumstances did James want his dad anywhere near the Department of Mysteries. To this day he still couldn't mention Sirius without a guilty look clouding his eyes, even when he was just full-naming James when he had gotten in trouble.

So, for the moment, James would have to keep quiet about the plan, even if it hurt his parents right now. In the long run, it would be the best thing for them. Sure, they'd be angry when they found out what he had done, but if he succeeded and came back with Voldemort's blood, he was certain their relief would outweigh their aggravation.

As he completed his final circle around the pitch, he pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the game. He felt significantly weaker and more tired than he had before the curse set in, but Victorie had discretely given him doses of all of his potions before the game, and had brought extra modified Pepper-Up and Strengthening Solution if he needed it between the periods, so he figured he would be fine.

The game turned out to be grueling, lasting nearly six hours, and by the start of the fifth hour James had been ready to toss a broom and a jersey to his Dad and beg him to get in the air and find the snitch. He had needed two more doses of potions in the breaks and still nearly fell off his broom on his victory lap. For the first time in his career, he didn't go out to sign autographs for his fans after the game. Instead, he soaked in the hot tub, allowing the sports therapist to massage his aching muscles, and trying to stay awake long enough to get home. He managed to accomplish it, but just barely. He Flooed home and made it three steps out of the Floo before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

James woke to the persistent beeping of a monitoring spell, reassuring him that he was still alive, despite feeling like he'd been run over by a hoard of hippogriffs. He cracked his eyes open, wondering it felt like his lids weighed a metric ton and were glued shut. Finally he managed to see out of a slit below his eyelashes, taking in the stark plain whiteness of the walls and sheets surrounding him.

"Damn," he croaked, realizing he was once again at St. Mungos.

"Damn is right," Freddie Weasley echoed, coming into view as a flamingly bright contrast to the bland walls. "You'd better get one hell of a bonus check from the Cannons this season, mate. I know you love that team, but it can't be worth having to suffer this pathetic excuse for pudding," he complained, spitting out a spoonful of pilfered hospital chum that was supposed to be figgy pudding but resembled something James had stepped in at the Dragon Reserve one time when he was visiting Uncle Charlie.

James tried to laugh, which resulted in a coughing fit, alerting one of the mediwitches that he was awake. He was immediately poked, prodded, scanned, and fussed over, much to his chagrin. When the two witches finally left to go get his doctor, he sighed in relief.

"Hey man, what's with you? You just had two women fawning over you at once. You should be flattered," Freddie joked while suggestively wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh yes," James smirked, "all that gray hair and the orthopedic shoes really turn me on."

"I figured as much. I remember that crush you had on Professor Rollins all through school."

"First off, she did not have gray hair. Secondly, I didn't have a crush on her. I think _she_ had a crush on _me_. She kept telling me to call her Romilda for Merlin's sake! What kind of Professor does that?" James asked as he tossed his hands up lightly.

"My mum said she had a thing for your dad when they were in school. Tried to give him a love potion in some chocolates, only Uncle Ron ended up eating them first and he went all wonky" Freddie chuckled.

"Well, if she'd done any research at all she would have realized leaving food anywhere within 50 feet of Uncle Ron was a bad idea. He's like a black hole when it comes to food!" James added.

Both boys were laughing when Victorie came in, and it brought a smile to the young woman's face. "I see someone's feeling better," she greeted.

"I'm feeling spectacular, Tori, thanks for asking," Freddie replied cheekily.

"Daft bugger," she muttered, rolling her eyes but secretly glad that her goofball cousin was here to cheer James up. The two had always been partners in crime at Hogwarts (and drove her barmy!) and she was sure Jamie would appreciate someone who wouldn't treat him with kid gloves being around right now. " _James_ , how are you feeling?" she asked, turning pointedly towards the brunette.

"I'm ok," he sighed. "I feel a little weak, but I guess that's to be expected."

"I'd say so. You've been in here unconscious for just over 48 hours," Victorie explained, bracing herself for the coming outburst.

"48 HOURS?! I've been asleep for two days?" he shouted.

"Yes, and if you get yourself all worked up again I'll keep you here under sedation for another two," she bit back insistently. James looked mildly chastised and calmed himself. She nodded in approval before continuing. "You pushed yourself too hard in that last game. The potions can only do so much to counteract the effects of the curse, and your muscles couldn't handle that much continual strain. If that wasn't the last game of the season, I would forbid you from playing."

"What about next season?" he asked unthinkingly. He noticed immediately the despondent cloud that settled over his cousin's face. She quickly averted her eyes and tried to compose herself.

"Uh, well, ye-the, the effects of this attack shouldn't be a factor past this week," she finally settled on. James knew what her prevaricating actually meant, though. Without a cure, he'd be dead before the next Quiddich season started.

"I appreciate the consideration, Tor, but you don't have to sugarcoat this for me. Volchenkov made it perfectly clear what my chances are. I just forgot for a second," he explained softly, seemingly slipping to somewhere a million miles away.

"Hope isn't lost Jamie. Aunt Hermione is still looking for the caster, and I'm sure she'll find out who it was, then we'll be able to cure you. Just please, don't lose hope," she pleaded, squeezing his hand almost desperately.

 _She already has found him-or rather Uncle Ron did,_ James thought. _The problem is he's been dead for more than two decades. Now my only hope is an experimental time travel device that may or may not exist and a motley group of teenagers, half of whom can't even legally perform magic outside of school yet. Still, they are a brilliant, sneaky, resourceful group._ "I won't give up. I promise," he vowed, despite his inner turmoil.

"Good," Victorie replied with feigned brightness. "Now I'd better go tell your Mum and Dad that you're awake before I end up with ugly bat wings on my face!"

As expected, there was a flood of visitors as soon as Victorie left the room. Harry and Ginny were first, of course, followed by Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur, then the Uncles and Aunts, followed by Teddy and the never-ending list of cousins, and finally, Lily and Al. His siblings had allowed everyone else to go before them so that they could speak with him privately without getting rushed out.

Lily immediately enveloped her big brother in a hug while Al stood back and eyed him critically. "I'm not one of your magical microscopic creatures, Al. You could at least try to pretend you aren't analyzing and examining me," he mocked softly over the red locks of his sister's head.

"Sorry," he shrugged, knowing that James wasn't actually offended. He walked up to the side of the bed, gave him a brief yet strong hug, then sat in the chair nearest to the bed. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Me too, although I'm mad that I missed the Cannons victory party. I'll bet it was one for the record books," he sighed wistfully.

"Yeah, but at least you didn't have to get stalked all night by that cheerleader who kept coming up to our box on their breaks. She was beyond irritating," Al ground out with a shiver as he recalled her caressing his shoulder while trying to dig up dirt on his brother.

James laughed at his little brother's obvious discomfort. "She's not my type, I'll give you that, but she's not exactly hard on the eyes."

"Ugh, as if that makes up for her atrocious, clingy personality," Al replied with a grimace.

"It might, if you had any interest in breasts," James answered nonchalantly.

"Jamie!" Lily admonished with a soft slap to his shoulder.

"What, you're old enough to mention breasts in front of. For Merlin's sake, you have a set of your own!"

"James, _please_ don't talk about our baby sister's breasts," Al pleaded, looking slightly green.

"Well at least you can say the word. I guess you're not the _biggest_ poof in the world," James teased. Al glared at him, which was all part of their usual brotherly teasing, but he couldn't help noticing the worry that flashed in his brother's bottle green eyes. "Hey," he said in a soft, caring voice. "You know I don't care that you're gay, right?"

Al's eyes widened and he sputtered, shooting up out of the chair and backing away from the bed. "Wh-what?" he asked with a sense of déjà-vu. _Rose figuring it out I can understand, she's way too smart for her own good, but James? He's one of the least observant people I've ever met! Am I that obvious?_ "James, I have no idea what you're talking about," he denied, putting on his calmest façade.

"I'm talking about how you like cock, little brother. Specifically, Scorpius Malfoy's cock, if I'm not mistaken," he said insouciantly.

"J-James!" Al cried as red suffused his cheeks and made a valiant effort at taking over his entire head. "Lily's in the room!"

"Oh please, Al, like I haven't heard the word cock before," Lily countered with a roll of her eyes.

"For Merlin's sake, would everyone _please_ stop saying cock!" he shouted, drawing the attention of three mediwitches and a Healer out in the hall. "Ugh, kill me now," he muttered.

"Nah, I think we should let you suffer," James mocked, raising a brow at Lily, seeking confirmation.

"Definitely!" she agreed with a wide, glowing smile.

Albus cast the strongest Silencing Charm he could over the room, then plopped back down in his chair, putting his head in his hands and pulling at his disheveled hair. He looked up at the gentle touch of Lily's hand on his shoulder.

"It really is fine, Al," she assured him. "Mum and Dad always taught us that love is the most important thing in the world, no matter what the form. Besides, you're our brother, we'd love you no matter what. Something as insignificant as which gender you're attracted to certainly isn't going to change that."

"Thanks, Lil" Al breathed in relief. After another moment, he shifted his eyes nervously to his big brother. The boy had taught him how to talk, played with him, looked out for him, teased him, defended him against bullies, and taught him to play Quidditch. Over the past 16 years they had screamed at one another, laughed together, gotten in trouble together, cried in front of each other, prankedeach other, and comforted one another more times than they could count. Al looked up to his big brother more than he had ever dared let show, and if he was being honest with himself, he was more concerned about his reaction to this revelation than anyone else's. Sure, he had joked about it at first, but what if he was just deflecting his true feelings?

"Don't tell me you thought I'd cast you out because of this," James asked, shell-shocked.

Al shrugged, looking down at his hands. "No, not really," he answered slowly. "But you _are_ a professional athlete, and you've always been a typically…macho kind of guy."

"So? What does that have to do with my attitude towards homosexuality? Hell, Al, Uncle Charlie's the manliest wizard I've ever met; the man wrestles dragons for Merlin's sake! Yet he's as bent as a broken wand!"

"Yeah," Al muttered.

"Listen, baby bro, I love you, plain and simple. You are bloody brilliant and I know you're going to change the world one day. I'm just glad that you'll have someone who loves you by your side while you do it." Al smiled and gave into James' open arms, hugging him ferociously. "You guys are together, right? I didn't just make a total arse of myself by saying all that stuff about love, did I?"

Al laughed lightly and considered telling James that he and Scorp weren't together just to tease him, but decided not to spoil the climate of brotherly love. "No, you didn't make an arse of yourself. At least not because of that," he added lightly. "We're together."

"For how long?" Lily piped in.

"Since just after Christmas break of fourth year."

James let out a long, low whistle. "Wow, two years! I'm impressed, Al. That beats my longest relationship by-"

"A year and 11 months?" Lily supplied, earning herself a brotherly shove from James.

"I'm not _that_ bad," he protested. " _Anyway_ …do you love him?" he asked his brother.

"I do. I really do," Al confirmed with a smitten look overcoming him.

"Awww!" Lily and James both cooed, James in a far more mocking manner. Al responded by sticking his tongue out at them.

James grinned and shoved him lightly with his shoulder. "I'm happy for you," he whispered sincerely.

"Thanks."

"So, what have you and your sneaky smartarse boyfriend been up to in terms of _the plan_ while I've been sleeping?"

Al blushed slightly at hearing James refer to Scorp as his boyfriend, but pushed that aside to focus on the important business at hand. "He purchased the Polyjuice and we've brewed the base for the Magical Signature Replication potion. We just need his father's wand for the final piece. His parents leave for their trip tomorrow, so we're going to get it then."

"Wow, you guys have been busy!" James complimented. "I guess I should have expected it though with two ambitious, intelligent snakes like you are."

Al smiled before continuing. "Rosie found a ton of info on the principles of time travel. Apparently the most important thing is to not let manifestations of the same person meet one another at the same point of the time-space continuum."

"In English that means?" James asked.

"A time traveler can't meet his or her past self."

"Ah, okay. Well that's not a problem for us since none of us were alive yet in the 90's. What else?"

"It appears that most devices create a time vortex, physically moving time around the subject, but not the space. So if we were to travel back in time from this room, we'd emerge in the new time in this very room as well, or the space where it would be built if it doesn't yet exist in the past. Finally, it is widely believed that even the smallest changes in the past, like stepping on a bug, can radically change the present. So when we go, we'll have to be exceedingly cautious not to make an impact on anything we don't have to."

"Oh, is that all? Piece of cake! One of Hagrid's rock cakes, that is!" James said sarcastically.

"No one ever said time travel would be easy," Lily interjected.

"True," Al agreed. "Although Scorp and I did come up with a contingency plan or two, just in case there is a…mishap."

"Of course you did," James smirked as he ruffled his hair. "So assuming Operation Take Draco's Wand is successful, when do we go?"

"Wow, remind me never to put you in charge of the code names," Al marveled. "As for the departure, we discussed it and we think we should infiltrate the DOM tomorrow night, if possible, then take our 'trip' as soon as Hugo feels confident of his understanding of the machine. We want to get this accomplished as soon as possible, obviously."

"Yeah, I agree. I should be out of here by tomorrow, so that should be fine."

"Umm," Al hesitated.

"What?" James asked suspiciously, his eyes narrowing at his fidgeting siblings.

"Given this most recent attack, we sort of decided that it would be better for you not to be involved," Al mumbled.

"WHAT?!" James bellowed angrily.

"We just don't want to risk your health, Jamie," Lily nearly pleaded. "What if the time travel is too much for your system to take? Or if you need treatment while we're back in the 90's. It's just too dangerous for you. Please try to understand; it's for your own good to stay here."

"Bollocks to that!" he spat. "Lil, Al, if this plan fails I'm dead anyway, and more importantly, so are you two. We _all_ have to do everything we can to make this succeed. If I'm not there, how will you distract the Ministry workers? And at some point we're going to have to get blood from the Dark Lord himself; the most evil, sadistic bastard the Wizarding World has ever known. Don't you think the more people we have to face him, the better?"

"Yes, but James-" Al began.

"No buts. I'm going and that's final. If I start to slow you guys down I'll hang back someplace safe until it's all over, but I will not sit here like a useless Pigmy Puff while my siblings and cousins go running headlong into danger! Especially since I'm one of only two Gryffindors in the bunch. That's our specialty, right Lil?"

"He's got you there, Al," she agreed reluctantly.

"Besides, if you try to go without me, I'll just tell Mum and Dad what you're up to," James added smugly.

"Argh! Fine! I can't believe my own brother is blackmailing me!" Al grumbled.

"Hey, you don't have the market cornered on sneaky and underhanded in this family," James retorted.

Al's comeback was halted by the sound of knocking on the door. He turned and released the wards he had placed on the door to allow his Mum and Dad to peek in.

"Guys, visiting hours are over. I'm afraid we have to go," Harry informed them reluctantly.

"All right," Lily lamented before giving James a loud smacking kiss on the cheek and another suffocating hug.

"James will be coming home tomorrow morning, so we'll see him again in a few hours," Harry assured his daughter.

"Yeah, I just overexerted myself in the game. Now that I can take it easier, I'll be fine," James said, pointedly eying his siblings, then holding his arms open for a hug from Albus. "You should tell them," he whispered as he bent down to give him the requested hug. "They won't be mad or disappointed. They love you, and they want to see you happy. Don't hide that happiness anymore."

Al nodded, but didn't say anything in reply. He stepped out in the hall, making way for his Mum and Dad to give their own farewell hugs and kisses to James. He rolled Jamie's advice around in his head, weighing the pros and cons of telling vs. not telling. By the time the group Flooed home the only conclusion he had reached was that he needed to talk to Scorp before deciding anything.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Al was shocked to discover that Scorpius was fine with the idea of informing Mr. and Mrs. Potter of their relationship. He, like James, was confident that Al's parents wouldn't hold it against him, though he did worry about the impact coming out might have on his sleeping arrangements when visiting in the future. Despite his acquiescence, though, Scorp did suggest waiting until after the plan was executed to reveal anything. After all, it might cause them to pay closer attention to Al than they normally did, just to make sure he was all right. When planning a major coo, added attention was never a positive, especially when that attention would be coming from a professional observant reporter and the Head of the Aurors. Al agreed and they decided to focus on the plan for the moment.

Al had convinced his parents to let him sleep over at Scorp's house the following night, although it took some persuading considering it would be the day James was released from the hospital. Still, they could hardly ever refuse him when he gave them his patented puppy dog eyes, and soon he was Flooing into the Manor. He'd been there hundreds of times since he was 12. It had taken a year for them to convince their parents that neither of them would be harmed at the other's house, but after that, the near constant visits were expected. In fact, both boys had been added to the unrestricted Floo lists at each other's houses.

When Al arrived at the Manor, Scorp's parents were already gone for their trip, and the young heir had sworn the House Elves to secrecy. Thankfully, all of the Elves adored Scorp, as he treated them like friends instead of servants, and had not only swore not to reveal Al's presence, but had actually aided Scorp in his quest to discover the password and disarming spells for his father's safe. They had all wanted to iron their hands, bash themselves in the head, and otherwise punish themselves afterwards, but thankfully Scorp had given them a perpetual command years ago that forbid them from ever hurting themselves unless specifically ordered to. Scorp would have preferred to leave it at 'never' but didn't want to risk his father or grandfather's wrath if they found out.

With the House Elves' help, some recon, and an in-depth analysis of Draco Malfoy's personality and past, the boys discerned the password within two hours. After another three hours, using their extensive knowledge of both Dark Arts and Defense, and a few consultations to Al's Uncle Bill's curse breaker guidebook, they had disarmed all of the protective spells. With a deep breath, Scorpius opened the thick, goblin-made steel safe, and removed the 10" Hawthorne wand within. He felt a slight warmth radiate through him, but it was nowhere near as powerful as his own 12" Willow.

With a sigh of relief at the lack of alarms or curses, the boys put the replica wand they had constructed into the safe and re-sealed it. They wrote out a quick letter coded to signal the acquisition had gone well, and sent it to the rest of the team. Then, they began the second stage of brewing for the Magical Signature Replication potion. The intricate potion would need constant attention for the next seven hours, so Al and Scorp decided to attend to it in shifts, alternating that with sleep shifts throughout the night.

At a little after 7:30 am, Al gave the potion its final stir with Draco's wand, and watched in awe as it turned from deep purple to a shimmering aqua with silver swirls. He bottled the potion into three glass vials, then set them on the rack to cool. The potion would need to steep in the bottles for two more hours to reach its maximum potency, so Al set a _Tempus_ charm, then crawled into the bed that Scorp had long ago transfigured in his personal lab, and cuddled up behind his boyfriend for a well-deserved nap.

When the charm signaled them two hours later, they woke in one another's arms and shared a few languid kisses before stretching and getting up to check the potion. It appeared to have reached its full potency, the silver swirls having settled into a bright gold. Satisfied that they had brewed it properly, they took showers, got dressed, and Flooed to the Potter's house.

They just _happened_ to be right on time to sit down to one of Ginny's home-cooked breakfasts, which they ate with all the alacrity of growing teenage boys. The rest of the Potter kids trickled in to join them as Ginny finished gathering her notes and headed out on assignment to cover the last of her post-season wrap up Quidditch interviews.

This left the Potter children and Scorpius alone, and free to discuss the plan. They Floo called Rosie and Hugo, who came over without hesitation, then cast a few _Silencing_ spells and alert wards, just in case anyone else came by. Lily informed them that none of the parents suspected anything as she had skillfully deflected their attentions anytime they notice a prolonged absence of one of them, or possible missing stocks of potions ingredients. Al and Scorp showed them all the potions, explaining they had enough to last three hours. Hopefully it wouldn't take Scorpius anywhere near that long to infiltrate the Department of Mysteries, find the device, and sneak out, but as none of them had ever been inside the DOM, they weren't certain. Scorp had caught a glimpse of a map of the place when his father had started working there, but that was nearly seven years ago, and although the blonde had a disturbingly accurate memory, there was no telling what could have changed in the years between then and now.

The group agreed the best time to go would be that very day, during lunch. Although James was still a little weaker than usual, it would look too suspicious to attempt the plan on a weekend. Today being Friday, it was now, or wait until Monday. Given James' latest scare, no one wanted to wait any longer than was absolutely necessary. Plus, visiting on lunch gave James a built in excuse for his presence; a nice father-son lunch outing with Harry.

Rosie distributed charmed Galleons to everyone, just as her mother had years before when the DA was formed, so that they could keep in constant communication with one another. Then Scorpius pulled one of his father's hairs from a bag in his pocket, put it into a putrid smelling bottle of Polyjuice Potion, and downed it in one long gulp. He clasped his thin lips tightly together to ensure nothing of the vile brew came back up, then began to seemingly ripple. It looked like thousands of small bugs were crawling around underneath his skin, and James and Hugo, who had never seen the potion at work before, recoiled with a look of mixed disgust and concern. Before they could say anything, though, the change settled down and the visage of Scorpius Malfoy was replaced with that of his father. The differences were subtle; he was a few inches taller, a little heavier, his face was more angular, his hair receding, and his eyes were fully gray, missing their usual blue flecks, but other than that, he looked rather the same.

"Weird," James commented, poking the boy's face until his hand was shoved away with a forced glare.

"Ready?" Al asked, looking deep into the vaguely unfamiliar eyes.

"Ready," Scorpius asserted in his father's aristocratic voice.

"James?" Al inquired as he turned to his brother, who was eying him and Scorp with an inscrutable expression. After a moment, he shook his head, as if to clear it, and answered.

"Yeah, definitely. It's just…so weird watching you speak to Mr. Malfoy so casually. Not to mention you looking at him like you want to suck his face off. Ugh!" he added with an exaggerated shiver.

"I am not!" Al protested indignantly.

"Ooh, got a thing for my Father, huh, Al? Kinky!" Scorpius mocked, causing Al to blush madly and punch his shoulder.

"Boys!" Lily admonished, "Could we please get back to the matter at hand?"

"Oh, of course," Al said apologetically, still blushing.

"Great, then let's break into the Ministry!" Hugo announced with enthusiastic gusto.

The pink flush on Al's cheeks changed to a deep red as the realization hit him that Hugo, who didn't know about Al's inclinations or his relationship with Scorp, had just witnessed that entire embarrassing scene. The blue eyed boy didn't seem at all fazed, though, and Al couldn't help wondering if his entire family had already supposed that Scorp was his boyfriend.

He shoved the worry aside, focusing on the daunting task in front of them. They were about to attempt something that nobody had ever successfully done, at least to his knowledge; steal something from the Department of Mysteries. His Dad, Aunt, and Uncle had managed to steal from Gringotts, though, which was supposed to be even more impossible, so perhaps they had a shot. Al looked over at the mischievous smile on his brother's face and gathered his Slytherin determination. They _would_ succeed, because they _had_ to. This was his brother's (not to mention his sister's and his own) only hope, and they would _not_ fail!

Like a General marching into battle, Albus led his eclectic troops to the Floo and gave them their last minute reminders of objectives, distress signals, and well wishes. He gave them both a tight hug, as did Hugo and Rose. James went through first, planning to distract any staff that were hanging around the entrance so that no one would look too closely at "Draco" when he arrived a few minutes later.

When James stepped out of the Floo, he was immediately greeted by the security wizard with a jovial smile and a hearty handshake. He had to sign in and have his wand registered, of course, but it was all just a formality. James had spent half of his childhood at the Ministry, accompanying his Dad to work on holidays and weekends.

He had been enthralled by the hustle and bustle of the Auror Department and, with the precocious curiosity of a true Potter, he had wandered over to countless other departments too. He had made fast friends in each section and soon was making it a point to visit them all whenever he accompanied Harry to the office.

Thus, it was with little surprise that the administrative employees of the Department of Mysteries greeted him when he wandered over to their area. He was swarmed almost immediately with people congratulating him on the Cannons' win and asking him how he was feeling. Unsurprisingly, his stint in the hospital had made the _Prophet_ , but they had managed to convince the public it was just a bout of exhaustion and dehydration ("too many late nights spent celebrating our victories and drinking things other than water," James had cheekily told the reporters).

After a few minutes, when everyone was fully engaged with James, 'Draco' swept through the administrative area with his usual haughty swagger. An eye or two glanced up at the movement, but barely gave the Unspeakable a second thought. Only the guard at the door to the interior of the Department of Mysteries, where only the Unspeakables were allowed to tread, made note of his presence.

"Mr. Malfoy, sir, I thought you were away with your wife this weekend," the guard inquired.

"I was," he sneered in reply, Scorpius knowing how much his father dreaded the visits to his maternal grandparents' house. We got to the Portkey terminal in Paris only for me to discover that one of my incompetent House Elves failed to pack my International Travel Waiver," he scoffed, knowing that ever since the war, Draco had needed express written permission to enter any foreign country. "So thanks to that negligent oversight I was forced to return to England and retrieve the blasted document myself, which is in my office. Now, if you are finished with your interrogation, I have wasted enough time."

"Yes, of course Sir," the guard apologized, intimidated by the cold stare from 'Draco's' flat gray eyes. In reality, Scorpius' father was much less frigid and judgmental than he had been during the war, and actually got along quite well with his fellow Unspeakables, but Scorpius knew that he had little patience for the guard, who was always trying to suck up to his superiors and learn gossip about everyone in the office.

Scorpius repressed his anxiety at the next step, knowing his regal father would never be caught in a swivet, and stepped confidently forward. He felt the tingle of the identifying wards wash over him, checking his magical signature to verify that he was authorized to enter. For a moment, nothing happened, and Scorp nearly broke out in a cold sweat, thinking something must have gone wrong and the Aurors had been alerted. Then, though, after what seemed like an eternity, a disembodied voice announced "Draco Malfoy. Unspeakable. Authorized" and the entrance become visible as the cloaking wards dropped.

'Draco' strode in, seemingly confidently, and reached into his pocket to rub the charmed Galleon three times clockwise, the signal that he had gotten into the restricted area. _Now comes the tricky part,_ he thought, then mentally scoffed. Who was he kidding? All of this was tricky; it was just that for the next phase, he was flying blind. He knew where the entrance was thanks to coming to the office with his father on occasion, but he had never been allowed into the core of the department. Thus, he had no idea where to go. The map they had procured showed the department was divided into sections, but he had no idea what the sections represented. Were there separate areas for experiments of each subject (time travel on the left, defense on the right, prophecies down the hall)? Or were they separated by level (minor experiments to the left, middle to the right, etc.)?

 _There's only one way to find out_ , Scorp resolved, then proceeded to the main hall, Thankfully there were only two junior Unspeakables in, the rest having gone on lunch just minutes before. Scorp began peaking into the sections in an attempt to discern a pattern. At first, there seemed to be no rhythm or reason, but that was probably because he had never seen any of the items in the areas. _How can I classify the sections if I have no idea what any of these things do?_

Finally, though, in the third section to the right, he noticed a shimmering bottle of black potion on a lab table. He recognized this as a potion of his Father's own invention; the Black Out elixir. It was a potion that a subject could drink to block his presence from the sight of anyone around for a period of up to five hours. When someone tried to view subject, they developed black spots in their line of vision, precluding them from spotting the subject. The viewer often thought nothing of the affect, assuming they had gotten up too quickly, not eaten enough, or looked into a bright light, and dismissed it by the time the subject moved on. Looking further into the section he found an invisibility cloak like the one Mr. Potter had given to his sons. _Ah, this section must address visibility, then. Alright, they seem to be sorted by subject. That actually makes this easier._

With a breath of relief, Scorpius moved on and covertly checked each section, looking for anything that might be a time travel device. After nearly an hour, and another sip of the Polyjuice he had in a flask with him, he finally found an area with an old time turner in it. The device was obviously broken, but it signified that Scorp was in the correct section. He began rummaging through the drawers, checking files and notes to see what might qualify as the device that the _Quibbler_ had alluded to. Much to his surprise, he found a file that looked like it was relatively new and well-thumbed through, labeled TDD. Inside there were notes on the Temporal Displacement Disk, including schematics, formulas, and a shiny gold key.

Scorp's eyes widened at his luck and he suppressed the urge to punch the air in victory. Instead, he whispered a spell of his and Al's invention, which was designed to connect separated pairs. They had originally devised it because Al had insisted that the House Elves were stealing all of his left socks, and he was determined to find them. They discovered that it was actually his brother behind the prank and he had paid one of the second year Slytherins to take all of the socks from Al's hamper before the Elves came to collect them. During the search, they found that the spell also united lost earrings, shoes, and other paired items, but it also connected puzzle pieces and locks with their keys. The last point was what had brought the feeling of victory to him, and as he had hoped, the key in the folder flew through the air, straight into the lock of a wide cabinet across the room. Scorpius cloaked his hand with his sleeve (Rose had told him about some Muggle method of identifying crooks through invisible prints from their fingers) and turned the key. The door opened to reveal a flat metallic disk, with a radius of approximately two feet.

Scorpius summoned it, then threw the invisibility cloak Al had given him over it. He didn't want to risk shrinking the device since he didn't really know how it worked, so this would have to do. He then cast a levitation spell on it, and cast a few replication charms. He cast one on the folder, taking the copy for Hugo to look over, and cast one on the device itself. He left the decoy in the cabinet, locked it back up, and quickly made his way out of the department, rubbing the Galleon four times counterclockwise to signal that he had the device.

"I was about to call the Aurors," a gruff voice rang out as soon as he stepped out of the door.

Scorp's heart thudded in his chest and he stopped breathing. "Excuse me?" he managed to get out with only a slight warble in his voice.

"You were in there so long I thought maybe you'd run into some trouble," the guard elaborated.

"Oh," Scorp nearly sighed in relief. "No, I just had some difficulty finding the document. The bloody Elf filed it under G for some Merlin-forsaken reason!"

"G? That doesn't make any sense," the guard mused as he scratched his head with his wand.

"Precisely," 'Draco' growled convincingly.

"Probably for 'going away' I'd reckon," one of the administrators chimed in. "I took a class in Communicating with House Elves and I learned they think in very literal terms."

The pair simply stared at the young man, then 'Draco' nodded in acknowledgement, which seemed to satisfy the contributor, who returned to his work. "Well…" he said to the guard, "Back to France."

"Have a good trip Mr. Malfoy," the guard called as he strode out, noticing that James had returned and was effectively distracting 99% of the administrators from noticing him with his goodbyes to them. He wasted no time getting to the elevators and walking quickly to a shadowed alley. He crouched behind a rubbish bin and waited a few minutes until the polyjuice wore off. Then he took an antidote to the Magical Signature Replication potion and sighed with the relief of being back in his own body and feeling like himself again.

When the coast was clear, he walked to the Leaky Cauldron and used the Floo to return to the Potter's. He was ambushed the moment he stepped out. Al gave him a relief-filled hug and an embarrassingly passionate kiss as Lily, Hugo, and Rose all asked if he had the device, what the reaction was at the Ministry, and if he knew if James was okay.

He held up a hand, once he had disentangled himself from Al's insistent embrace, and waited until they all quieted down. He regaled them with the entire tale, telling them that James was saying his goodbyes, so he should be home within the next hour, given how popular he was. At the end, he whipped the cloak off of the TDD, which he had been levitating behind him after he stepped out of the Floo, and they were immediately struck with awe. Scorp handed the file over to Hugo, who began voraciously reading through the complicated Arithmancy, spells, and what Scorp assumed was Muggle science or math.

He was muttering observations and exclamations when the Floo flared a moment later and James emerged, looking exhausted but cheerful. "Mission accomplished?" he asked Scoprius.

"Mission accomplished," he affirmed with a relieved smile.

"Great job, Blondie," he smirked, pulling him into a quick, sincere, hug, then ruffling his perfect hair.

Scorp grumbled and pulled away, but gave him a smile a moment later. "You too. For a brainless jock, anyway."

The group laughed at their familiar brotherly teasing, then decided to take the TDD to a more secure location, namely the secret storage room that Al had created under his floorboards in his bedroom. With the pilfered device secured and wrapped in no less than 20 protective wards and spells, the group took deep breaths of relief, allowing hope to flood their veins, and went to the kitchen for a celebratory lunch.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Within two days and countless hours spent hiding under the covers reading rather than sleeping, Hugo felt he had a solid grasp on the workings of the TDD. He owled Albus and the 'mastermind' organized a meeting at the park down the street from the Potter and Weasley residences. James had been mostly in bed since playing his part in the plan, having exhausted himself by rising to his usual exuberant level of joviality for the benefit of the employees at the Ministry, but he still insisted on attending the meeting.

Once at the park, the five teens gathered in the tire fort that had been Rose's favorite playing spot and had the benefit of being easy to ward while granting a high level of privacy.

"I remember this place being a lot bigger," James murmured as he awkwardly pulled the last three inches of his leg into the tight space.

"That's probably because the last time you were in here, you were 12 and a lot smaller than you are now," Rose pointed out pragmatically.

"Touche," James replied as he gazed around the tire fort critically.

"So Hugh, what've you got?" Lily asked her cousin, getting the meeting back on track.

With bright eyes shining with enthusiasm, Hugo launched into a highly technical description of how the Temporal Displacement Disk operated. When he finished he looked around to his audience expectantly, receiving slightly amused smirks as his reply. Used to such a reaction, he reigned himself in and rephrased the explanation. "The basics are this: the disk can be programmed to any specific date by plugging variables into its mainline arithmetic equation. The time traveler stands on the disk, and a spell field is created to encapsulate the traveler. The disk then moves through the time continuum by means of a modified apparition spell, depositing the disk and rider in the programmed time. One can also expand the radius of the disk to accommodate more time travelers so, in theory, it could fit us all."

"That's awesome, Hugh!" James shouted triumphantly. "Way to go, little genius!" he praised as he gave him a nuggie.

"You've figured out the equation I take it?" Albus asked the younger boy.

"Yeah, it wasn't that difficult," Hugo shrugged.

"Sure it wasn't," Lily quipped, catching James' eye in particular. All of the kids were intelligent, but it was a well-known and accepted fact that Hugo, Rose, and Albus were on a whole other level when it came to smarts. James had always been more the athletic type, and Lily was always more talented in hands-on areas, particularly concerning magical creatures. Harry and Ginny had cringed a little when she was taken on as Hagrid's protégé, but neither could deny that she was naturally gifted in the subject.

"When can we launch the next phase of the plan, then?" Rose asked the group.

"I'm ready to proceed whenever you guys think is best," Hugo replied, looking between the four other people in the fort.

"Okay, first we need to decide the optimum time to return to," Albus replied.

"It would have to be sometime between the summer of '94 and May of '98," James pointed out. "That's the only time that the bastard was around. Unless, of course, we want to go back to grandma and grandpa's time."

"It would be cool to meet them," Albus mused.

"Although that's true," Hugo interjected, "the TDD has an inversely proportional relationship between stability and length of time traveled." The statement was met with silence. "The bigger the time gap, the less reliable the machine becomes."

"Oh!" rang out from the group.

"Between '94 and '98 it is then," Lily asserted.

"Plus we need to choose a time when we'll actually know where Voldemort will be," Albus pointed out.

"I'll do some research using the war texts and what our parents have told us, then formulate a list of the most specific dates we have with Voldemort's exact known location," Rose volunteered.

"Ok, great. We should also start to think about assigning roles for the next stage," Al stated decisively. "We'll reconvene tomorrow night at 6? I know Dad and Mum have that Ministry dinner to go to, so I assume Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron will be going too?"

"Yes, much to Dad's chagrin," Rose answered with a smirk.

"It's set, then. We'll meet in my room."

The next day the five teens, plus Scorpius, were gathered in Albus's room going over the research Rose had completed. She had a comprehensive list that was backed with a plethora of sources, but the dates with definitive locations were few and far between. Not surprising, considering all the sources they had were from the Light side who were hardly in daily contact with the Dark Lord during the war.

"Maybe we should intervene at the Tri-Wizard tournament and just stop Wormtail from using Dad's blood to resurrect Voldie in the first place. Think of all the lives we'd save!" Lily suggested.

The idea definitely had appeal; Harry would be thrilled to still have Sirius in his life, and both of Al's namesakes might still be around if not for Voldie's return. Not to mention the world of heartache that would be saved George and the Weasleys in general if Fred were still alive, and the fact that Teddy wouldn't have to be an orphan. Then there were all of the Muggle-borns that had been murdered, and the students who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. They could _all_ be saved, along with the Potter kids, if Wormtail were stopped before the Tournament.

"I hate to be the Nundu at the party here, guys," Rose interjected reluctantly, "but we have to remember how tempremental time can be. The smallest change can alter things in ways we never imagined, and what we're talking about now is a MONUMENTAL change. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to save all those people, but what if we make the future worse?"

"How could it be worse without Voldemort being brought back?" Scorpius asked skeptically, obviously thinking of the psychological and emotional damage that his father could avoid if the Dark Lord had never been resurrected.

"For one, there is no guarentee that stopping Wormtail stops Voldemort from coming back," she pointed out. "What if some other Death Eater figures out the spell to bring him back after we leave, and for some reason, like Dad not personally witnessing it, this time, the Order isn't prepared. Voldemort could actually win the war and we might inadvertently kill our parents and write ourselves out of existence!"

"Bollocks," James swore, "she's right. There are just too many unknowns in that plan."

"As much as it kills me to say it," Rose continued, with tears shining in her determined eyes, "we need to keep things as close to the original timeline as possible. Ideally, we should look for a way to get his blood without him even realizing it has been taken."

"Sure, we'll just sneak into Voldie's bedroom and extract some blood as he slumbers, no problem," Lily quipped flippantly.

"That's a great idea, Lily!" Scorpius exclaimed with his blue eyes dancing.

"I was being sarcastic," she replied with mild derision.

"I'm aware, but that doesn't lessen the validity of the suggestion," Scorp answered easily.

"And how do you suggest we find a slumbering Voldemort?" James asked.

"Easy. We walk into the master bedroom of my house in 1997," Scorp replied with a smug smirk.

He received a cavalcade of confused looks for a moment, until realization dawned on Rose's face. "Oh!" she gasped, drawing the room's attention. "Don't you guys remember? For the year before the end of the war, Voldemort made Malfoy Manor his headquarters!" she explained.

"Of course," James confirmed, face-palming himself as he recalled the information. "How could we have forgotten? Dad, Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Luna were all held captive in the basement!"

Al noticed that an ashamed flush rose to Scorpius's face at the reminder that his family had tortured Al's, so he snaked a hand over to him, gripping his reassuringly. Scorp gave him a small thankful smile, but there was still a layer of shame in his eyes. Al resolved to wash that away later, in private.

"Ok, so we know where he'll be for most of that year, but that doesn't solve the issue of _how_ we are going to get to him,"Hugo brought up. "Particularly since Malfoy Manor was reputed to be one of the most heavily warded places in existence during that time."

"True," Scorp conceded, "but the wards have always been primarily blood-based, so members of the Malfoy family, and particularly residents of the Manor itself, have always been able to come and go easily."

"Wait, Scorp, are you suggesting-" Lily began.

"That I be the one to infiltrate the Manor and get Voldemort's blood," he completed, a look of utter dedication clear on his face.

"Alone?" Hugo asked in disbelief. "Scorpius, you can't! Do you have any idea how dangerous that would be?"

"Hugo's right; Voldemort is _way_ too powerful to approach alone," Rose added in, trying to talk some sense into her best friend.

"You don't have to do this, Angel," Al insisted, trying to implore his boyfriend to see sense. Al knew that Scorp was so willing to volunteer for the most dangerous part of the mission out of some misplaced sense of guilt over his family's past, but the blonde had no penance to pay in the his mind. The sins of his father, and grandfather, were not his, and Al's entire family had come to know and accept that. "You don't have to make up for the past," he whispered.

"I know," Scorpius answered back softly, "but you have to admit that, logically, this is the most effective path. Just like getting into the Department of Mysteries, I'm the only one of us who can get access to the Manor."

"I still don't think you should try this alone, though," James chimed in, his protective big-brother streak making itself known. "Is there any way to get one of us in with you? I could take some Polyjuice to look like one of your cousins or something," James suggested.

At this, everyone looked at each other somewhat guitily.

"What?" James asked with suspicion.

"Well…it's just that…" Hugo began, only to trail off.

"We talked about it, James," Lily picked up, "and we're not so sure it's a great idea for you to come," she explained delicately.

"What?" James growled, his face flushing with anger.

"Don't take it personally," Al admonished, "it's just that we're worried about you. As much as you want to deny it James, you're sick. What if the strain of time travel, _experimental_ time travel, is too much for your body to withstand?"

"Then I'll go to St. Mungo's and get some potions," James snapped waspishly.

"How?" Rose asked. "You don't _exist_ in that time, James. Who are you going to sign in as?"

"Yeah, and bloodline curses aren't exactly common, so you showing up with one and knowing exactly which potions you need is certainly going to raise some red sparks," Hugo added.

"Then I'll pack some extra potions in my bag! Merlin, this is ridiculous! I am not letting a bunch of underage wizards and witches who can't even use magic outside of school yet just go traipsing through the past, up to the most dangerous and evil wizard of all time, all on their own! I'm going, and that's final!" he shouted assertively, folding his arms across his heaving chest to signal that the discussion was closed.

"All right, James," Al conceded. "You'll come too. We'll all go. Safety in numbers, right?"

"What? Al, you can't be serious!" Lily exclaimed in outrage.

"I am, Lil. I'm worried about him just as much as you are, but he has a right to come," he replied, boring his green eyes into hers intently, silently communicating something that she understood after a moment.

"Fine," she sighed, giving Al a slight nod. "But you'd better be careful, James, or this curse will be a Tickle Charm compared to what I'll do to you."

James laughed and pulled his little sister into a tight hug. "You got it, Lil."

"Ok, with that settled, how about we depart for 1997 this Saturday night? I overheard Dad and Uncle Ron saying that they were going to be on a stakeout all night, so that'll just leave Mum and Aunt Hermione to get around," Al suggested. "Scorp, you can ask your Dad if you can sleep over that night, and we'll depart late at night after everyone has gone to sleep."

"Sounds like a plan," Scorpius agreed, and the others all nodded as well. "Great, then it is settled. In three days, we go back in time."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After the meeting had ended, Al sent secret messages to Lily, Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius with a new date and time for the traveling to be done. It was just too risky for James to undertake such an excursion in his condition, but he knew that arguing with his brother was like talking to a brick wall. So, he decided to employ his Slytherin abilities and surreptitiously arrange for the departure to exclude him. The new day and time was set for Friday evening at the Burrow. It had become a tradition for the entire family to gather at Molly and Arthur's for a family dinner each Friday and most of the time the kids stayed over, so it would be the perfect chance to invoke the plan without raising suspicions.

He invited Scorpius to the dinner, which also was not unusual, and between all of them they managed to smuggle in their needed supplies, including the TDD, Hugo's notebook of calculations, rations for up to a week, the invisibility cloak, a bevy of concealment and healing potions, Polyjuice with a supply of hairs from Draco and a few random strangers in case they needed to blend in, their brooms, and a tent. Everything was shoved into Rose's bag, which, of course, had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, and they were set to depart at 2 am after everyone else had, hopefully, gone to sleep. The most difficult part was preventing Hugo from giving anything away. Though the boy was undeniably a genius, he couldn't lie to save his life. His face was an open book and his innocent, amiable, child-like nature made him incapable of prevaricating or deceiving. Thankfully, though, he had inherited his father's appetite so he was wholly consumed by the copious food on Molly's table for the majority of the evening.

Finally, at midnight the kids were ushered off to bed amidst a chorus of (token) objections. James, Teddy, Tori, and Freddie stayed up with the parents for another hour, but by 2 am all was quiet throughout the old house. Al peeked out from under his worn but warm patchwork blanket, watching for any sign of life from his brother in the bed across the room. James was breathing evenly, though, and his chocolate eyes stayed closed as Al observed him. After a few moments, the younger boy was confident that his brother was, in fact, sound asleep, and he crept out of bed, tiptoeing to the third bed in the room. Scorpius opened his stormy gray eyes discreetly, nodding slightly when Al gave him the 'all clear' sign. The blonde carefully got out of the cot he was sleeping on, mindful of the sometimes squeaky springs, and the pair made their way to the door.

Al slowly pulled the door open just enough for them to squeeze out, trying to keep the slice of light from the moonlit hall from falling upon James' face, then they slipped silently from the room.

They tip-toed to the next room, where Rose and Lily met up with them, having evaded Roxanne and Domi, who were both fast asleep.

Their final stop was the room on the third floor, where Hugo was sharing with Louis and Freddie. Hugo was, for once, wide awake, despite his love of sleeping in. With their final conspirator in tow, the group crept up the stairs to the Burrow's attic. Lily whispered intently to the ghoul who lived there, and who had formed an odd attachment to the girl years ago. After a moment, the ghoul nodded and floated over to the other side of the attic, apparently having agreed not to cause trouble with the group invading its territory.

Rose chuckled at Lily's way with people…and animals…and beings…and even ghouls, before getting down to business. She pulled the TDD and the calculations out of her bag, setting the disk up in an empty area of the floor. Hugo began drawing Ruins on the edge of the disk with his wand, confident that the use of underage magic in the Burrow, just as in Grimmauld Place, was undetectable thanks to the Shielding and Scrambling charms their parents had cast over all of their properties. As he drew the figures, the disk began to grow larger, soon measuring over six feet in diameter, and large enough to fit all five of the soon-to-be time travelers.

"Ok, everyone stand on the disk," he directed as he concentrated on a panel that had appeared after the expansion was completed. The remaining Weasley and the Potters complied, all gravitating towards the middle to be safe. Hugo began putting in the date coordinates to the magical panel, but was interrupted by the trap door to the attic being tossed strongly open. The bang resounded in the cavernous space, causing nearly all of them to jump.

"What the bloody hell is this?" James hissed furiously as he pulled himself through the opening.

"J-James!" Rose squeaked in worried surprise.

"You were trying to go without me, weren't you?" the eldest boy seethed, displaying the Weasley temper his mum had made famous on the Quidditch pitch.

"No, we weren't" Al lied easily. "We were just doing a dry run of the set up to make sure everything was in order for tomorrow."

"Is that so?" he replied with a dark sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes, that is so," Scorpius answered coolly.

"Huh, then let's hear it from someone who _isn't_ a cunning little Slytherin. Hugo?"

The brunet looked like a 'deer in the headlights' as the Muggles say, as James turned his blazing brown eyes upon him.

"Buggering fuck," Lily muttered under her breath.

"Uh, uh, w-well," Hugo stuttered as James stormed up to him intently. His eyes shifted frantically to his sister and cousins, silently pleading for help. "A d-dry run is always a pru-prudent idea," he stuttered.

"That's not what I asked," James taunted. "Tell me Hugo, were you all about to leave without me?" he demanded, making the younger boy cringe.

"All right, enough already!" Rose growled. "Leave Hugh alone, you petulant bully," she chastised.

"Bully?" James exclaimed in disbelief.

"You are being an arse, Jamie," Al added matter-of-factly.

"Me?" James roared, spinning angrily towards his younger brother. " _You're_ the one who went BEHIND MY BACK to arrange this change of plans. Don't try to deny it, _Mastermind_ , I know it was you!"

"YEAH, it _was_ me, and I'd do it again!" Al shouted back. "You're being completely unreasonable James! You can't just rush into a dangerous mission like this in your condition! Merlin! For once in your life try using that lump three feet above your arse called your brain instead of just rushing headlong into danger like the stupid, un-evolved Gryffindor you are!"

Four sets of eyes widened around the attic while one burning brown pair narrowed threateningly.

"No bloody discretion at all," Scorpius muttered at Al as he put his head in his hands. "Friggin' lion in a snake's skin."

"Un-evolved?! Why you self-righteous, imperious, little shite!" James screamed, lunging at his brother in a fury filled attack. This broke the rest of the group out of their shock and they leapt into action, struggling to pull the two Potters apart as they scuffled with each other, trying to land punches and scratches on one another, throwing curses and insults at one another all the while.

"Stop it!" Lily shouted ineffectively at her brothers as she and Scorp tried to pull Albus out of the fray and Rosie and Hugo tried to pry James out.

"What the hell is going on up here?!" a booming baritone rang out as strong arms suddenly shoved the fighting boys away from one another.

"He attacked me!" Al cried from his place trapped in Victorie's arms, where he had been pushed to, wiping blood from the lip that James had split with a semi-landed punch.

"You insulted me first!" James retorted, struggling against Teddy's hold, though it was useless thanks to the older boy's daily training as an Auror and his inherited preternatural strength.

"Because you're being an idiot!" Al roared, causing James to shove hard against Teddy's hold, nearly succeeding in knocking him over. Instead, the Auror was pushed into Hugo, who gracelessly fell onto the console of the disk.

A loud hollow whirling sound began, distracting the Potters from their fight, and drawing everyone's attention. The sound grew louder and louder as a silver dome arched up from the edges of the desk and trapped all seven people inside.

"Oh fuck," Scorpius cursed just before the world around them began to spin, then blinked out of existence.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

The world made its presence known again a moment later as the silver arc encasing the travelers faded and the metallic whirring subsided into an eerie silence.

"Is everyone alright?" Teddy asked, surveying his various family members for any injuries. They all nodded in a stunned manner, clearly shaken up, but he didn't see evidence of any injuries more serious than the few bruises and busted lip that James and Al had inflicted on one another. "Good. In that case, would somebody like to tell me what the fuck just happened?" he asked with a low growl rumbling in the back of his throat.

"Uh," the teens hesitated, eying each other warily. Teddy lived up to his name 99% of the time, being a big, fluffy teddy bear in demenor, but that other 1% of the time when something actually managed to piss him off? Watch out! James recalled one of those rare times when Teddy had been 8 and another child in WWW dared to tell him that Harry Potter wasn't Teddy's _real_ daddy, because Teddy's _real_ daddy was an animal that had had to be put down like the sick dogs at the pound. Teddy's eyes had literally turned red and the metamorphmagus had turned into a huge wolf right in the middle of the store, intent on tearing the boy to pieces. Needless to say he had gained far more control as he aged, but there was still a temper under that calm, composed façade that you didn't want to mess with.

"Would you believe it if we said time travel?" Hugo risked replying, shrugging his shoulder tensely.

"TIME TRAVEL?!" Victorie shouted, clenching her fists. "What in the name of Merlin are you all doing messing with time? And how did you manage it anyway? Oh, no, Hugo…you didn't _invent_ this, did you?" she asked with wide, anxious eyes. She was in awe of her cousin's talent for engineering unique devices, but time-travel devices had been outlawed after the Department of Mysteries incident with her Uncle Harry and the DA, so if anyone found out that Hugo had created his own…

"No, Tori, I didn't invent it. I'm just in charge of operating it," he answered easily.

"Yeah, great job you did with that," Al huffed in annoyance.

"Hey! Lay off, Al!" Lily chastised hotly, coming to the aid of her best friend. "If you two plonkers hadn't been messing about like a couple of toddlers none of this would have ever happened!"

"Toddlers!" Al and James both cried in offense.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Teddy interjected. "Are you seriously telling me that we just traveled through time?"

"It would appear so," Hugo replied, peering at the instrument panel he had been calibrating before the fisticuffs began.

"When are we, Hugh?" Rose asked her little brother, half dreading the answer.

"Well, I hadn't completed programming the Temporal Displacement Device when James bumped into me. I was in the midst of setting the year, but I only got as far as 1995, and I didn't get to the month or day yet, so it was on the default, which was the day we left."

"I'm going to curse you all to Kingdom come!" Victorie snarled, an angry red flush marring her porcelain skin. "You've landed us smack dab in the middle of the war!"

"This isn't going to work," Scorpius interjected methodically, seemingly unaware of the screeching part-Veela next to him. "Voldemort isn't at my house yet in this time. We have no idea where to find him."

"Where to find him?!" Teddy gasped. "Why in the name of Merlin's saggy bollocks do you want to try to _FIND_ VOLDEMORT?!" he shouted, the noise echoing in the attic and chasing away the eerie silence that had been there when they arrived. Unfortunately, it also called the attention of the resident ghoul of the Burrow, who was _not_ pleased to have its territory invaded and quiet disturbed.

The creature swarmed towards the group, rattling its chains threateningly and shouting. "How dare you disturb my sanctum!" it cried. "You'll pay for this, you useless bonebags! I'll tear the flesh from your bones and rip out your eyes!"

Lily tried to reason with the ghoul, but seeing as she hadn't had the time to build any rapport with it and show it that she meant no harm, as she had done in her own timeline, her efforts were ineffective.

"OUT! GET OUT!" the ghoul screamed, channeling its spectral energy to lift the TDD and smash it into the wall across the attic.

"No!" Rose cried, seeing the device bend and shed small pieces from the control panel.

Scorpius and Hugo immediately ran to the device, trying to gather all the small parts that had been contained within, while Torie and Teddy stepped in front of the ghoul to distract it and, hopefully, prevent it from hurting any of the kids. With a quick wave, James signaled Lily and Rose to the trap door, wrenching it open and shuffling them through, despite their whispered protests that they didn't want to leave the others.

James assured them they'd all be right behind, then joined Teddy and Torie as Scorp and Hugo gathered the last few pieces. "Go! Go!" he directed them fervorently, making sure they made it safely to the trap door.

"James! What about you?" Al cried with worry as he reached the exit.

"I'll be right behind you, I promise, just go!" he insisted. "You two go too," he ordered Teddy and Victorie once the kids were out of harms way.

"No!" they objected immediately, ducking more projected shrapnel from the angry ghoul.

"I'm terminal anyway, guys! Besides, you're having a baby, for Merlin's sake!" he shouted in exasperation.

"What?" Teddy asked, stopping dead in his tracks and looking between Torie, who had grown very pale, and James.

"Oops," James winced sheepishly. "Sorry Tor, I thought you'd told him."

"We-we're having a baby?" Teddy asked his wife, in utter awe.

"Yes, but I _really_ don't think this is the time or place to discuss it," she chided softly as she ducked to avoid a careening trunk stuffed with ancient clothes.

"No kidding; _you_ aren't even born yet!" James joked, just before getting hit upside the head with an old couch cushion. "Ow, that's heavy!" he complained.

"Ok, enough, let's all get out of here!" Victorie insisted, pulling both men towards the exit. They quickly slipped down the ladder, only to be met with the business end of a wand and an exceedingly vicious looking redheaded woman. Looking over her stout frame, James saw that his siblings and cousins had all been _Stupified_ and bound with _Incarcerous_ in the middle of the hall.

"Er…hi Grandma" he cringed as he felt his body stiffen and the magical ropes slithered around his body. 'Out of the frying pan, into the fire,' he thought.

'Grandma must have cast a _Sleeping Spell_ on us,' James thought since the next thing he knew, he was tied securely to a chair in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, though it was far dingier and more depressing than it was in his own time. He couldn't move his head yet, but by shifting his eyes he could see that Lily, Rose, and Hugo were all tied up near him. Across from him he saw Teddy and Scorpius were tied up as well, although they seemed to be bound by much more magical rope. 'Makes sense. Teddy's biceps are nearly as big as my head, and Scorp looks just like his Dad. There's no mistaking him for anything other than a Malfoy.'

"Hey, this one's awake!" a strangely familiar voice rang out from in front of his face. James shifted his eyes and was met with a shock of bright red hair and laughing chocolate brown eyes that he would know anywhere.

"Unca' George?" he asked groggily.

"How's he know my name?" the boy leaning over in front of him asked.

'Did someone hit me on the head?' James wondered, shifting his eyes further to the right and seeing yet another vision of his Uncle George.

"George, Fred, get away from him! He could be a Death Eater for all you know!" Molly castigated the twins, shooing them off with an impatient wave.

'Fred?!' James thought frantically. 'Oh, shite, that's right! We traveled back to 1995. Uncle Fred is still alive! Sirius is still alive! So is-'

"This one has awoken as well," a deep velvety voice laced with ice and aggravation drawled out to his left.

'Snape!' James thought with wide eyes. His father's stories about the infamous man were legendary, and Al had fashioned him as some sort of absentee role model when it came to potions, one of his brother's two favorite subjects. 'The little dork is going to wet himself,' James thought with amusement.

"It appears they are all beginning to come 'round," a gruff voice announced overhead. "Don' get too close now, yeh hear? We've got to be on our guard. Constant vigilence!"

'Ah, that must be Mad-Eye,' James thought as the Auror himself came into his line of vision. Across the way he could see that Teddy was now looking around warily, as was Rose on his left ('that must have been who Snape was near') and Hugo on his right. Lily, to his right as well, immediately began attempting to struggle free, breathing clipped and slurred curses from her still mostly _Stupified_ lips.

"It's ok, doll, no one's gonna hurt ya," a somewhat raspy tenor said to her. "Damn, she sure does look like Lily!" the voice breathed with an edge of hurt. "Except for the eyes," the voice added.

"Ok, everyone brace yourselves. I am going to release the _Stupify_ spells," a very deep, resonant voice announced. "But don't you get any ideas, whomever you are. You'll still be under _Incarcerous_ and if you put even so much as a toe out of place we won't hesitate to blast you." With that, the deep voice released the _Stupify_ and a chorus of sleepy, slightly pained moans echoed through the room.

James immediately took advantage of the somewhat expanded mobility of his head and looked around to make sure everyone was safe. He saw that Al was to his extreme left, and staring with wide-eyed adoration at Severus Snape. Torie was all the way to his right, and seemed to be ok, though she was definitely anxious. Teddy looked murderous at the sight of his family, and pregnant wife, tied up, Rose was clearly analyzing the situation shrewdly, and Hugo sat calmly with a look of serene innocence upon his visage. Lily immediately began spitting full-fledged curses at the man who had called her "doll". James could clearly see now that this man had to be one of his own namesakes, none other than Sirius Black.

"Doll? I'll show you who is the doll around here!" Lily spat, glaring into the, admittedly attractive, gray eyes staring down at her. "I'll pop your head off just like I did to Liana Stevenson's Barbie doll when we were five, you arrogant toerang!" she growled.

Sirius's eyes grew wide before a wide grin bloomed on his face. "She sounds like Lily too!" he cackled. "You're all right, girl."

The only one who hadn't come to yet was Scorpius. When Al noticed, he was going to flip. 'Oh shite, too late' James thought as he saw his brother's emerald eyes shift from Snape over to his boyfriend, and grow round with rage.

"What have you done to Scorp?!" he cried indignantly. "If you hurt him I swear I'll curse you so badly you'll be begging for the _Cruciatus_ instead!" he snarled as he tried to break free of his magical bindings, nearly knocking the chair over in the process.

"Al!" James admonished sharply. "Calm down! You're going to get yourself hexed talking like that!"

"I don't give a flying fuck! They hurt Scorp!" he protested, growing more agitated by the moment.

"Language, young man!" Molly Weasley reprimanded in a clipped tone that sounded exactly like the one she used in their time when they slipped up and swore in her presence. It startled Al so much that he automatically reigned himself in and offered a soft apology. "That's all right, dear," Molly replied, having been softened by his repentant demeanor. "And we didn't hurt your friend; we've just put him under a stronger _Sleeping Spell._ "

"Enough with the niceties," Mad-Eye snapped. "We've got business to attend to. Namely finding out who these people are and how they managed to infiltrate the Burrow.

James, Teddy, and Victorie traded warning and worried glances, silently communicating that everyone should keep their mouths shut and not reveal a thing. Mad-Eye was intimidating, but he was also a member of the Order, so he would never actually resort to torturing them for answers. And it wasn't as if they could tell the group the truth; that could completely throw off the time continuum. The older travelers conveyed the decision to remain silent to the rest of the group, earning miniscule nods in return.

"Who are you?" Mad-Eye growled in Teddy's face, leaning over him to intimidate. "How did you get into the Burrow?" Teddy gazed back at him with no concern, completely unaffected by the gruff Auror. He pursed his lips, but otherwise did not move an inch. "Oh, that's how it's going to be, eh? Well, no matter. We'll see if the young lady would like to speak to me."

Teddy twitched involuntarily as Mad-Eye moved over to Victorie, his natural protective instincts kicking in, but he reigned himself in, knowing that logically he had nothing to fear. His wife might look the part of a fragile china doll, but her fair façade hid the heart of a lion and she was more than capable of taking care of herself. His relief was compounded when he saw the Auror's magical eye spin toward's Torie's abdomen and widen in surprise. Teddy had heard countless stories about that eye, so he knew it was capable of picking up things no regular human could. Knowing she was pregnant, Mad-Eye was sure to cut Torie some slack.

"So, Missy," he asked with mock sweetness, "care to share your name?" Victorie raised her chin and purposefully pursed her lips together in an act of classy defiance. "How about what you were doing in the Weasley's attic? It hardly seems like an appropriate place for a pretty young lady, especially in your condition."

Victorie's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but she quickly got heself back under control. "I've been in far rougher spots, I can assure you, and I am perfectly capable of handling myself, regardless of my _condition_ ," she replied in a smooth, confident tone.

Moody narrowed his eyes but didn't reply. Rather, he turned around with a slam of his fake leg on the floor and decided on an alternate approach. He shuffled his way up to Hugo, the smallest of the bunch, being the only one who had not yet gone through puberty. "You, boy, who are you?" he grumbled, clearly thinking he could scare the small, quiet boy into giving something away.

"Hmm," Hugo mused thoughtfully, "that's a rather broad question, don't you think? In an existential sense, who are any of us, really? Mere ants, toiling about our daily lives as the whole of the cosmos swirles towards entropy around us," he replied.

James couldn't help but snigger at such a typically Hugo deflection, but Moody was clearly not amused (and rather confused, it appeared).

"Fine," Mad-Eye huffed, "you _kids_ want to do this the hard way, so be it. Snape," he shouted with a begrudging tone in his voice, "get the Veritiserum. We'll get the truth out of them one way or another."

Snape simply nodded, clearly trying to contain his dislike for the man giving him orders, and swept from the room, his stark black robes billowing dramatically behind him.

The travelers all shared looks of trepidation, save for Scorpius who was still unconscious. Their parents, being paranoid form their own childhood experiences, had trained them well in defense, including Occlumency and throwing off the Imperius Curse, but there was no known way to resist the effects of Veritiserum. This was _not_ going to be good.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Snape returned all too soon with the glistening little bottle of clear liquid. He raised a stern black brow at Moody as he impatiently folded his arms across his chest.

"Administer it to them all, except her," Moody directed, pointing to exclude Victorie. Teddy released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding as the rest of the group members, save for James, looked on with confusion.

"Excuse me," Victorie spoke up politely, "I appreciate you excluding me from the dosing, but could you also please exclude him?" she asked, canting her head towards James.

"Why? Is he pregnant too?" Mad-Eye asked sardonically.

"You're pregnant?!" Al, Rose, and Lily all shouted as Hugo piped in with "Congratulations."

"Yes, I am, but it was _supposed_ to be a surprise," she hissed half at James and half at Moody. "And to answer your question, no, he is obviously not pregnant, but he does have an alternate medical condition which could cause him to react poorly to the veritiserum."

Moody paused, weighing her clinical sounding explanation.

"Perhaps you shouldn't, just in case," Kingsley suggested.

"You can't honestly believe this drivel," Snape sneered. "She is obviously lying to circumvent the investigation! This boy is probably the ringleader," he hissed as he took in the messy black hair and confident air around the boy in question, reminding him far too much of his schoolboy nemesis, James Potter. "He has troublemaker written all over him."

"I'm not lying!" Victorie protested vehemently. "I am a certified Healer at St. Mungo's, for Merlin's sake!"

"Then praytell, what _exactly_ does the boy have?" Snape seethed menacingly.

"A bloodline curse," James volunteered before Victorie could refuse to answer.

"James!" Al admonished his older brother.

"James?" Snape recoiled _. 'It can't be!'_ he thought. _'The boy resembles Potter, but it couldn't possibly be him! He's dead!'_

"Enough of this," Kingsley stepped in, seeing that Snape was about to lose it. It hadn't escaped his notice that the boy strongly resembled James Potter, but he was more perturbed by the other black haired boy, who was the spitting image of Harry Potter, minus the glasses and scar. If someone was trying to impersonate the Boy-Who-Lived, they had done a very commendable job. It was time to get to the bottom of this. "If he really is under a bloodline curse then we can't risk the veritiserum. We'll see what we can get from the others then worry about him if we have to."

Moody tilted his head in resigned agreement, while Snape merely sneered. Still, he began to administer three drops of the truth telling serum to all of the visitors, minus the blond and _James_. To his surprise, none of them resisted. _'They must have figured out it would be futile'_ he thought with satisfaction.

They waited a few moments, then Mad-Eye resumed his interrogation. Once again, he started with the largest male in the group. "Let's try this again," he began with a smug smile. "What is your name?"

"Teddy," he replied instantly, his amber tinged eyes glazed from the effects of the potion.

"Your last name, Teddy?" Moody elaborated.

"Lupin," he said automatically, then let out a resigned sigh as chaos broke loose.

"Lupin?" Sirius shouted. "How can you be a Lupin? Remus is the last one left!"

"Are you related to Remus Lupin?" Moody asked.

"Yes," Teddy replied, dreading the question he knew would come next; the question that would blow the roof off of everything.

"How are you related to Remus?"

'There it is. Fuck! _'_ he thought with dismay. "He's my father."

"What?" a shaky, stunned voice asked amidst the shocked silence. Teddy raised his head to see none other than Remus Lupin standing in the doorway to the kitchen, apparently having just returned from a mission. Just in time to hear Moody's question and the young man's reply.

Teddy's eyes began to water slightly as he laid his eyes on his father for the first time since he was a baby too young to remember him. From then on he had only seen him in pictures and pensieve memories. Victorie looked over at her husband, wishing she could wrap her arms around him and comfort him. His face showed a mixture of pain, sadness, joy, and disbelief.

"Whoa Remy, I never knew you were such a ladies man!" Sirius called out with pride, clapping his stunned friend on the back. "You must have been, what? Fifteen when you knocked his mum up? Why didn't you tell me you were seeing someone?" he added with an edge of hurt.

Remus finally broke out of his stupor long enough to shake his head vehemently from side to side. "No," he stated flatly. "He's lying. He's not my son. I didn't date anyone at Hogwarts and I don't have a son."

The group of travelers noticed the fierce flash of hurt cross Teddy's face and their hearts went out to him. When Teddy was younger he had dreamed of meeting his parents. He drew pictures of what the joyous reunion would be like, and told Harry all the things he would say to them when he finally met them. He saved all of his art projects and papers to show them, hoping they would be proud. There was even a painfully rough period where he was convinced they were there with him, even though no one could see them. Harry's heart nearly broke the day Teddy's pre-school teacher Floo'ed him to say that Teddy's imaginary friends were his parents.

He had grown out of it, of course, and come to terms with the meaning of death, but they suspected that there was a tiny piece of his heart, buried deeply, that still hoped to meet them someday. Now, that day had arrived, and the first words from his father's mouth were a stinging rejection.

"He is too your son!" Lily shouted, rising to the defense of her 'big brother' without a second thought.

Remus turned to look at the speaker, taken aback when he saw the young girl who looked so much like Lily Evans it made his mouth drop in shock. He cautiously peered at the rest of the captives, blanching when his eyes landed on a boy who looked remarkably like James Potter, and on another who was Harry Potter's doppelganger. "What's going on here?" he breathed out shakily.

"That's what we're trying to figure out, you imbecile," Snape replied hotly _. 'So what if the wolf had turned out to be a tramp? One could hardly expect anything less from a beast. That still didn't answer the question of what his bastard son was doing breaking into the Burrow with a gang of Potter look-a-likes.'_

"You!" he snarled at Lily. "What is your name?"

"Snape, I wasn't done questioning this one!" Moody protested angrily.

"Lily Potter," Lily replied, the potion heedless of Mad-Eye's objection to Snape's usurping of the questioning.

"It can't be!" Sirius cried, leaning in to examine the young girl.

"Of course it can't be," Remus supported once he had pulled himself back together. "Clearly they are all lying. Why, I have no idea."

"They can't lie," Molly interjected softly, worried about how the werewolf would react to her revelation. "They've been dosed with Veritiserum."

Remus's amber eyes grew wide as he whipped his head over to Snape for confirmation. The dark haired man nodded curtly and Remus fell hard into a chair that Fred (or George?) had the presence of mind to push up behind him.

"So you…you really are my son?" Remus asked the bound young man. Teddy nodded, but averted his eyes to the floor. He couldn't stand to look at his father if another rejection was going to be flung his way.

"How old are you?" Sirius asked suspiciously.

"24" Teddy replied.

"24! But Moony's only 35! How could he have impregnated someone at 9 years old?

"He couldn't have," Teddy was compelled to answer.

Severus Snape narrowed his eyes as a suspicion rose to the forefront of his mind. It was impossible, but at the same time, the explanation that best fit the pieces of the puzzle. "What year were you born?" he asked Remus's supposed son.

"1998," he sighed in utter defeat. The kneazle was really out of the bag now.

"Shite," Al muttered under his breath as the rest of the room erupted in shocked shouts, protests, and demands for explanations.

"That's impossible!" Moody declared.

"Maybe there's something wrong with the Veritiserum?" Molly suggested, earning herself a Glare of Messy Death from the Potions Master who had brewed it.

"Maybe he's immune to it," Remus alternately suggested, giving Snape a small conciliatory smile, which earned him a sneer.

"No one is immune to Veritiserum," Moody insisted.

"Well it has to be one or the other Mad-Eye," Sirius pointed out with mocking pragmatism. "Either it's possible that he was born in '98 or its possible that he's immune to the potion. Or maybe you brewed it wrong," he added tauntingly.

"How dare you!" Snape roared but was cut off by the grizzled auror.

Mad-Eye grumbled an indistinguishable curse at the escaped convict before turning his attention back to Snape. "Dose the others again. We'll see if their stories match up." Snape rolled his black eyes but gave each person two more drops of the potion.

Moody approached Lily and began questioning her. "You say your name is Lily Potter?" he asked.

"Yes. Lily Luna Potter."

"And you were born in what year?"

"2008," she answered easily.

"So you're _not_ the Lily Potter who was known as Lily Evans before she married James Potter?" Sirius butted in to ask.

"No! _That_ Lily was my grandmother. Dad had a thing about naming his kids after people that…he cared for," she finished, managing not to say 'people that died.' Obviously everyone there knew that Lily Potter the first had passed, but the statement would have created some sticky issues when Al revealed his name.

"So your Dad is…" Fred asked with a devious smirk on his face.

"Harry Potter," Lily answered with a smile.

"So our adopted little brother _does_ eventually figure out how to talk to the ladies," George said with twinkle in his eye.

"Or at least one," Fred added with a smirk. "And maybe not _talk_ but at least he figures out how to-"

"Fred!" Molly castigated shrilly.

"Ok, enough comments from the peanut gallery," Kingsley stepped in. "We're going to go down the line, and I want each of you to state your full name, age, and year of birth," he directed authoritatively. "We'll start with-"

"Mum! We're back from hospital!" Bill called out from the Floo in the living room, supporting his father, who had just been released from St. Mungos after his tangle with Voldemort's snake.

They slowly walked into the kitchen, where Molly usually was, trailed by Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione. The group stopped abruptly when they realized that not only was most of the Order also in the kitchen, but so were seven strangers, all securely bound to chairs.

"Molly dear, what's going on?" Arthur asked with clear concern in his voice. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, Arthur, we're all fine, but we have a rather strange situation here."

"Uh, mates," Ron asked warily, staring wide-eyed into the room. "Why is there a second Harry in the kitchen?" When he received no response from Ginny, Harry, or Hermione, he proposed his own answer. "Do you have a twin you never told us about?" Ron asked his nearsighted friend.

"Oh Ron, don't be ridiculous!" Hermione quipped with exasperation. "It's probably someone Polyjuiced into Harry."

"And what would you know about Polyjuice, Miss Granger?" Snape rumbled lowly, eying her suspiciously.

"Just what I have read in our textbooks, Sir," she retorted confidently.

"What happened?" Arthur asked again. Molly launched into her tale about returning to the Burrow to get clothing for the family, seeing as they were going to spend the holidays at Grimmauld Place, when she heard an awful racket coming from the attic. When she went to investigate, she found the seven interlopers fleeing from the resident ghoul. She told her husband how she subdued the strangers then notified the Order.

"Whoa, you took on seven witches and wizards all by yourself? Wicked!" Ron praised, causing his mother to smile widely.

"Yeah, that's amazing, Mum!" Ginny agreed.

"Way to go!" Bill breathed in pleasant shock.

"Thank you, kids," she blushed as Arthur hugged her tightly and gave her a loving kiss at her temple.

"Yes, and now we are interrogating the suspects," Moody added, anxious to get back to the task at hand.

"And get this," Fred cried in excitement.

"They're from the future!" George finished.

"WHAT?!" all of the newcomers gasped.

"Either that or they are immune to Veritiserum," Sirius piped in. "Watch."

"As I was saying, we'll go down the line, starting with you," Kingsley said, pointing at Rose.

"Ok, my name is Rose Marie Weasley, I'm 16, and I was born in 2006."

"2006!" Harry shouted as Ron and Ginny cried "Weasley?"

"Contain yourselves or we'll send you upstairs," Moody quipped.

"Thank you. Next?" Kingsley instructed, gesturing to Hugo.

"Hullo. I'm Hugo Rubeus Weasley, I've just turned 14, and I was also born in 2008, like Lily, although she was born in February whereas I was born in November."

"Another Weasley?" Bill asked, eying all of his siblings curiously. "If they really are from the future I guess we live up to the tradition of having big families."

Molly beamed so brightly at the comment that she could have lit up all of London. The situation had seemed so surreal before, but now, as each and every child substantiated the time-travel theory by revealing birthdates in the future, she began to let the possibility sink in. These really could be her grandkids! Grandkids! She was giddy with just the thought.

"Nice to meet you, Hugo," Kingsley replied, being taken in by Hugo's polite innocence despite his best efforts to remain neutral. "Mr. Lupin, we've already been introduced to you, so that brings us to you, young lady."

"Lupin?" Harry gasped. "Professor, you have a son?"

"Not that I know of, but if this time travel stuff I true, it looks like I will," he said, looking a little green around the gills.

"Remus," Kingsley said gently, drawing his attention back to the kids.

"Right," he nodded, gesturing to the blond girl and putting his head back in his hands.

"Hi. My name is Victorie Isis Lupin," she said as Remus's head shot up again, his face becoming pale.

"I have a daughter too?" he gasped.

"No, Mr. Lupin," she clarified with an understanding smile, "just a daughter in law. Teddy and I married just over a year ago. Prior to that I was yet another Weasley."

"Oh Arthur!" Molly cried happily. "We have so many grandkids!"

"We sure do, Mollypop," Arthur replied with his own beaming smile.

"And a great-grandchild on the way," Torie reminded them, cradling her still flat stomach.

"Uh oh, I think she's gonna blow," Ron stage whispered as he eyed the ecstatic look on his Mum's face.

Kingsley cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to the time-travelers, and gesturing to Lily. "Miss Potter, you've already introduced yourself so we'll move on."

"P-potter?" Harry whispered, suddenly resembling Remus in complexion.

"Yep, Lily Luna Potter, 14, born in 2008. Hi Dad!" she said brightly, nearly causing Harry to faint. Thankfully Ron and Hermione caught him, though, and he shook it off.

"James?" Kingsley prompted.

"Ah, right. Um, someone might want to get Da-Harry a chair first," he suggested. Molly agreed and quickly summoned a chair from the living room. When the Boy Who Lived was seated, James proceeded. "I'm James Sirius Potter-"

"Ugh, Merlin help me," Snape grumbled while Sirius broke into a huge smile.

"I'm 19 years old and was born in 2003," James finished, shooting a disparaging glare at Professor Snape for his comment.

"You named your son after me?" Sirius asked Harry, happy tears forming in his eyes.

"It would appear so," Harry shrugged, still semi-paralyzed with shock over the idea that he had kids. _'That means I live. I actually survive all of this hell with Voldemort. Sweet Merlin! I probably get married too! I wonder who my wife is.'_

Harry's thoughts were cut off by a near tackle from Sirius, who hugged him so tightly he couldn't breathe. "Your Dad would be so honored, Harry, and so am I," he gushed.

"Someone get me an _Anti-Naseua_ potion," Snape spat, resulting in a two-fingered salute from Sirius.

"And finally," Kingsley announced loudly, "go ahead young man," he pointed to Al.

"Uh, hi. I'm Al. Albus, that is, and like Rose I'm 16 and was born in, or will have been born in 2006," he stated nervously.

"We said to give us your full name," Moody barked.

"Alastor, calm down, he's just a child. Besides, I'd say it's pretty blatantly obvious that we've got another Potter on our hands," Kingsley chuckled. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Sir. I am Albus Severus Potter," he confirmed, purposefully holding his head high when he revealed his middle name.

"Severus?!" Sirius recoiled, releasing his hold on Harry as if the boy had turned to molten lava. "You named your kid after the greasy git? Why?" he railed.

"Is this some kind of sick prank, Potter?" Severus snarled, hatred gleaming fiercely in his eyes

"I don't know!" Harry snapped back to both men. "Until five minutes ago I didn't even know he existed!"

"Stop it!" Al shouted suddenly. "Both of you, leave Dad alone! It's none of your business why he named me what he did."

"He stole _my_ name so it certainly is my business!" Severus retorted sharply.

"And if he was _Imperised_ by Snivellus over there, then as his Godfather that's _my_ business!" Sirius chimed in hotly.

"He wasn't under any spell and he didn't steal your name. He gave it to me as an honor to you. Dad told me you wer-are-the bravest man he knows," he explained, quickly changing his tense to hide the fact that he had never actually met his namesake before today.

"Brave? Snivellus?" Sirius scoffed.

"Sirius," Remus said warningly. "Stop it. We have to focus on the…time travelers and _why_ they are here. You and Severus can quibble over the boy's name later," he growled in his rarely used commanding Alpha voice. "So," he shifted his tone back to his usual calm professorial voice, "tell us, why exactly are you here? And why did you bring someone who looks just like Draco Malfoy?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Al gulped, seeing as the question had been directed to him and the Veritiserum would not let him get away without answering. He was, however, given the liberty to answer the second (easier) question first. "That's Scorpius, and yes, he is a Malfoy, but it isn't fair to judge someone based solely on their name or their family. After all, how would you feel, Dad, if people judged you based on Great Aunt Petunia, or Great Uncle Vernon? What about you, Sirius? Would it be fair if you were judged by your mother, or your Aunt Bellatrix?" he asked pointedly, causing the subjects in question to blush shamefully. "As for why I brought him, first, he's my best friend, and second, he's essential to the plan."

Remus and Kingsley each raised their brow at the admission that there was, in fact, a plan. Knowing that the potion would do its work, though, they just sat back and waited for the reminder of the answer to Remus's previous questions.

"The reason we're here is to get Voldemort's blood," Al admitted softly, hating that the entire secret plan would be exposed.

Of course, his revelation caused terror and dread to wash over the room.

"I knew you were up to no good!" Severus shouted with blazing anger. "You're trying to resurrect the Dark Lord in the future, aren't you?!" he growled in Al's face.

"NO!" Al shouted, completely horrified. "We would NEVER do something like that!"

"Then what do you need Voldemort's blood for?" Harry asked, nearly as angry as Severus. The only difference was that his anger was laced with a deep heartfelt pain at the thought that his own children could have grown up to support Voldemort.

"To cure James," Rose volunteered. "And to prevent the bloodline curse from striking Al and Lily."

Victorie's eyes widened at this pronouncement. "You mean…Voldemort was the one who cast the _Tabesco Hereditatis_ on Uncle Harry?"

Snape's eyes widened in disbelief as his jaw clenched. "Did you say _Tabesco Hereditatis_?"

"You've heard of it?" Torie asked with genuine surprise.

"Of course he has. Snivellus knows every Dark curse out there," Sirus scoffed. "He's probably cast it once or twice himself, whatever it is."

"I have _never_ cast the _Tabesco Hereditatis_ you flea bitten mongrel! Although for you I might make an exception!" Snape roared.

"Voldemort curses me? What-what does it do?" Harry interrupted before the men could start throwing their own curses at one another.

Torie gave Harry the clinical description of the curse's effects, trying to maintain her composure in the face of the young boy's despondence.

"Mate," Ron gasped, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder as Hermione and Ginny's eyes filled with tears. Molly was sobbing by this point, being held tightly by her husband, who kept shooting comforting looks at Harry. "We'll stop it," Ron vowed. "We'll never let him cast it on you."

"What if he already has?" Harry asked in a daze.

"It won't affect you directly, Dad," James tried to reassure his father…who was actually 4 years younger than he was at the moment. ' _That's a really weird thought.'_ "It only affects your offspring. So even if he has cursed you already, you'll be okay. And if we get his blood and bring it back to the future, then we can all be cured, so the problem will be solved."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Remus asked, eying the young boy facing death with open curiosity.

"What can I say? I'm a Gryffindor," James shrugged with a small smirk, earning him proud grins from Harry, Ron, Sirius, and Remus.

"Which is exactly why _I_ am the one in charge of the planning," Al scoffed at his older brother.

"You're not a Gryffindor?" Harry asked with a bit of surprise. This boy looked so much like him that he had started to think of him almost like a clone. He had expected his personality to be the same as his own too _. 'Maybe he takes after his Mum in that area. Perhaps he's a Ravenclaw, if he's a planner.'_

"No," Al answered, hesitating for a moment. He knew his father was fine with him being a Slytherin in the future, but that was after Snape revealed his true allegiance and gave his life for his Dad's. Plus, right now, if he were to walk into his House at Hogwarts, it would be filled with Death Eaters in training. Would he really accept a son in the House of Snakes now? Unfortunately for Al, his future Uncle Ron took the choice out of his hands.

"What house are you in, then?" Ron asked without trepidation.

"Slytherin," Al answered with as much dignity as he could muster, bracing himself for the onslught he knew was sure to come. Even in the future Uncle Ron had had a hard time accepting his sorting (not to mention his choice of best friend!).

"SLYTHERIN!?" Ron cried out, as expected, as Snape's eyes widened and a rare flush of shock could be seen on his face. "Harry, how could you have a snake for a son? I bet it's that Malfoy's fault!" Ron spit out, pointing at Scorpius's lank head of golden hair. "He must have cast a spell on him on the train to Hogwarts!"

Al couldn't help but giggle at that. His Uncle Ron would propose the exact same thing nearly twenty years in the future.

"No one cast anything on him, Dad! Stop being ridiculous," Rose huffed (again, just as she would do in 2017).

"Dad?" Fred burst out with a smirk that spelled nothing but trouble.

"Ickle Ronnikins is your father?" George asked the redhead tied to the chair.

"Oh damn!" Rose cursed, realizing what she had given away. ' _So much for not revealing too much about the future!'_

"I-I-I'm a dad?" Ron asked, completely dumbstruck.

"Yes," Hugo chimed in with a reassuring smile. "And you're the best one ever."

"You're mine too?" Ron gaped.

"Sure am, but don't worry, it's just me and Rosie…so far anyway."

Ron blushed at the insinuation, the tips of his ears turning a bright scarlet.

"Oh Ronnie!" Molly gushed, pulling him into a tight hug, nearly crushing him in the process.

"You have wonderful kids, Ron," Arthur said with unmistakable pride as he clapped his youngest son on the shoulder.

"Speaking of being wonderful," Lily segued, "since you all now know that we aren't disguised Death Eaters or assassins sent to kill the Boy-Who-Lived, or worst of all, nosey reporters, could you perhaps untie us? I lost feeling in my left arm twenty minutes ago and it's really starting to tingle."

"Oh you poor dear!" Molly gasped, immediately moving over to the kids to release the magical bindings.

"Wait!" Moody ordered, stopping the stout witch in her tracks.

"Oh Alastor, for Merlin's sake! You gave them each 5 drops of Veritiserum and we've observed them for over an hour with no noticeable changes in their appearance so they obviously aren't Polyjuiced. They answered all of your questions and their stories all collaborate. Now stop being unreasonable and release these poor children or you'll lose that other leg!" she barked, causing everyone to chuckle at her transformation from doting mother to vicious lioness in 3 seconds flat.

Moody looked at Kingsley, who nodded. "Fine," the Auror grumbled. "Snape, release them."

"I am not your lap dog, Moody, and I do not take orders from you," he hissed back.

"A very good point, Severus," a calm, amused voice rang out, immediately commanding the attention and cooperation of everyone in the room. Albus Dumbledore smiled with that maddening twinkle in his eyes that revealed he already knew what had been going on at the headquarters in his absence. "Still, if you would be so kind as to release your captives."

"Very well," Severus agreed petulantly, "but we are keeping all of your wands!" he informed the kids.

"Well of course you are," Al replied plainly. "It's only prudent, and you aren't idiots."

"Indeed," Severus nearly purred. " _Some_ of us aren't, anyway," he added with a cruel smirk and a pointed glare at Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Harry.

"Git," Ron muttered, glaring right back, though it paled in comparison to the Potion Master's.

Within moments, all of the bindings had been released. Al immediately ran over to Scorp to catch him from slumping out of his chair while the others slowly stretched their aching muscles. "Excuse me, Sir?" he asked the tall, imposing form of Severus Snape before he could make his exit from the crowded room.

"What?" he sneered at the Harry-Potter look-a-like. Even if the boy was in Severus's own house, he was still a Potter, and that meant thoughtless, arrogant, and self-centered.

"Could you please end the _Sleeping Spell_ on Scorp? I swear on my honor as a fellow Slytherin that he won't harm anyone," he said with big, green eyes that screamed Lily Evans.

Snape shut his own obsidian orbs to stop the onslaught of painful memories and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine," he agreed before Moody could object, casting _Finite Incantatem_ wordlessly.

The blond's gray eyes immediately shot open as he looked around wildly. "It's okay, Scorp, we're safe," Al assured him as he discreetly stroked his hair at the nape of his neck.

"Al, I had the weirdest dream! We traveled back in time and your Grandmother hexed me and-" he stopped short as he took in the many curious and amused eyes looking down at him, including Al's aforementioned grandmother, only now she had far less gray hair and walked without the slight limp she had developed after being grazed with a bone-crushing curse during the final battle.

"Yes, sorry about that," Molly explained, "but surely you can understand. We're in the midst of the war, my husband had just been attacked by a snake, and a bunch of strangers show up in my attic. How was I to know that it was my future grandchildren?" she asked with a glint in her eye.

"She-she knows?" Scorpius asked with clear concern.

"They all do," Al explained, sweeping his hand around the crowded room. "Veritiserum."

"Bugger," Scorpius swore. "So much for the plan of get in, get out, and don't get seen."

"Yeah, but when have our plans ever gone as they are supposed to?" Al smirked, getting up off of the chair and helping Scorp stand after being unconscious and restrained for so long.

"Now that that is settled," Molly exclaimed brightly, "who wants hot chocolate and biscuits?" Nearly every one of the kids threw their hands up in the air, clamoring for their grandmother's famous treats. "Wonderful! I'll bring it into the living room and we can all get to know each other!" she nearly squealed with delight.

"A fine idea, Molly," Dumbledore agreed with an eager smile.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

As they walked into the living room, Hugo pulled Al aside, apologizing to Scorpius, who had discreetly put his hand up the back of Al's shirt and had been caressing him softly to reduce his stress regarding the ruined plan.

"What's up, Hugh?" Al asked, knowing from the look on his face it must be serious. Hugh was the most easy-going person he'd ever met, so it took a true crises to bring the look of concern he had now to his face.

"It's the Temporal Displacement Disk," he sighed.

"Oh Merlin, please tell me you can fix it," Al gasped, suddenly thinking about exactly what would happen to them if they were stuck in the past forever. He hadn't worried about it before because, first, he was unconscious for a while, second, he was answering awkward questions while drugged, and third, he never imagined there was a technical issue that was beyond his cousin's brilliant grasp.

"I _think_ I can," Hugo answered, somewhat assuaging his cousin, "but it's going to take me a while for sure. The interplay of charms, arithmancy, ruins, and technology is the most complex I've ever seen," Hugo admitted, worrying his bottom lip.

"Ok, that's ok," Al sighed in relief. "As long as you think you can do it. If you _think_ you can do it, I _know_ you can do it. You always were your own biggest detractor," he ribbed gently. "As for the time it takes, don't worry about it. I mean, it's a time machine, right? So no matter how long it takes to fix it, we can just return to right after we left. Just like we originally planned."

"Sure, but what about this timeline? We'll actually have to spend the time here. What are we going to do for possibly months in 1995?"

"Work on fixing the TDD, get Voldie's blood, mess with our teenaged parents, and try not to get killed?" he suggested sardonically.

Hugo rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile at his cousin's response.

"Mr., uh, Professor Dumbledore?" Teddy called out to the venerated elderly wizard as the group moved from the kitchen to the living room. "May I have a word?"

Of course, Mr. Lupin," he said with a wry smile, enjoying the way Remus' face paled at the moniker. The pair moved to the side to speak in semi-private.

"To be frank, Sir, I'm worried about the implications of us revealing so much about the future. Torie and I stumbled upon the kids in the midst of their plan and just got taken for the ride, so I'm not sure what the exact plan was once they arrived here, but they are a very smart bunch of kids, scarily so sometimes, so I am fairly sure that they didn't plan to encounter any of you, let alone reveal everything that they have."

"I can tell that they are a gifted group," Dumbledore assured him. "They would have to be, I imagine, to concoct this plan seemingly without any adult assistance. Thus, I am sure they knew the dangers of messing with time and had no intentions of confronting their teenaged parents. However, seeing as the Order has already forced them to reveal so much, I do not think further revelations will make a difference at this point," he said with a distinctive twinkle in his eyes.

Though Teddy had never seen the infamous twinkle in person, he had heard plenty of stories about it from his Godfather, and he knew it always meant Dumbledore was up to something. "You're going to _Obliviate_ everyone, aren't you?" Teddy asked, trusting his Auror investigative training and natural ability to read people.

"You're a very perceptive young man," Dumbledore commented as a means of confirmation.

"Just part of the job," Teddy shrugged with a modest blush.

"Is that so?" Dumbledore asked knowingly. "Let me guess; I'm usually quite good at such things. I'd have to say, you're an Auror."

"Got it in one," Teddy smiled. "Although given the stories my Godfather has told me about your seeming omniscience, I'm not surprised."

"Your Godfather?" he inquired.

"Harry," Teddy replied with a warm smile, thinking of the (now) young man who had helped raise him, despite having just finally been alleviated of the burden he had been carrying for years as the Boy-Who-Lived, and being barely more than a child himself. "He's the best," he said with a smile.

The comment caused Dumbledore to beam. "He is a most extraordinary young man, and I have to say that it brings me great joy to find that he survives this war and goes on to have such a wonderful family and future."

"Yeah; hopefully his mischievous kids don't mess that up with this time traveling! They are brilliant, but they tend to be trouble magnets."

Dumbledore laughed heartily at that. "Sounds like they take after their father," he commented as he led the young Auror into the living room where the rest of the time travelers were digging into the famous biscuits.

"Yeah, although Ginny tends to attract her share of trouble too, so they could get it from either parent, or both, come to think of it," he said with a joking smile.

"Wh-what did you say?" a stunned alto voice nearly whispered from the floor in front of the sofa.

Teddy cringed, knowing that voice and dreading confirming it. Still, he turned slowly to find Ginny Potter ' _she's still Weasley right now, you big-mouthed idiot!'_ sitting on the floor, staring up at him disbelievingly, her deep brown eyes blown wide and her mouth hanging open with a bit of half masticated biscuit showing.

"Oh bugger," he cursed.

"Teddy!" Victorie rebuked, punching him in the shoulder.

"Do you mean _our_ Ginny?" George asked, looking halfway giddy and halfway murderous.

"Uhh…no! No, of course not!" he cried desperately. "I mean…another Ginny."

The group of present day teenagers looked at each other skeptically, then turned their doubting gazes on Teddy.

"Teddy, you are still the _worst_ liar in the world," James sighed. "Other than Hugo, of course."

"So, it's true?" Ginny asked, half hopeful. "I-I'm…I'm…"

"Our Mum," Lily piped in with a sweet smile that had won over the hardest of hearts.

"You married our baby sister!" Fred and George shouted at Harry, who had lost all color in his face and was trying desperately not to look at the redhead across the room.

"You _knocked up_ my _sister?_ " Ron growled at the same time.

"Three times," Scorpius noted with a cocky little smile, earning him a glare and a growl from Ron.

"You're my…kids?" Ginny asked as she stared at James, Albus, and Lily in nothing less than total shock.

"Yep," Lily answered with a wide smile. "You're thrilled with me. It's just these two that you have a problem with," she dug, pointing to her brothers.

"Shut it, pipsqueak," James retorted, giving her a friendly shove. "You know Mum loves me best," he added with a wink at Ginny.

Ginny sat heavily on the chair that Rose had vacated, sensing her would-be Aunt would need to sit after hearing the news. "I can't believe this. I have a kid who is five years older than me!"

"Yeah, and little Harry is his Daddy!" Fred teased, elbowing Harry, who was still nearly catatonic and warily eyeing Ron, who looked fit to kill.

"Oh, I'm so happy for the two of you!" Molly cried with happy tears in her eyes. "You've always been a member of the family, Harry dear, but now it's official!" she squealed as she enveloped the shocked boy in a crushing hug. Harry's green eyes widened even further before he closed them with a satisfied sigh. _'Family. She said I'm a member of the family. I've always wanted to be part of a family, especially one like the Weasleys. But…Ginny? She's a cool kid and all, but she's Ron's little sister. I've never even thought of her like…like_ _that!_ _'_

Molly pulled back, completely unaware of Harry's internal debate regarding her daughter, and pulled Ginny into an equally enthusiastic hug. As she was struggling to breathe and listening to her Mum's pleased gushing, she couldn't help but think of the utterly alien situation she found herself in. _'I end up_ _marrying_ _Harry? It's like a dream come true! But it's a dream I'd basically given up on. After pining after him for years and having him barely glance my way, and this year watching him moon over little Miss Chang all the time, I had to move on and let him go. Plus, I'm with Michael now and he's…fine. I mean, we get along well, and he really likes me, so why should I jeopardize that just because my kids from the future show up? Ok, yeah, I sound like an idiot. I know I don't love Michael, and just last week I was thinking about dumping him, but just because we supposedly have kids and get married eventually that doesn't mean Harry is open to anything romantic with me now. Damn, you'd think knowing the future would make things easier!_

"Young Mr. Potter," Fred began.

"You know we are _thrilled_ to have you as part of the family," George continued.

"But we need to have a little chat about the rules regarding our sister," Fred said as he looped his arm around Harry's shoulders and led him off to the hallway with George following, effectively blocking the younger boy in.

"Ron?" Harry asked with a worried, pleading look as they dragged him away.

"Actually, _mate_ , I think for once the twins have the right idea," he spat a little viciously.

"Stop it," Ginny admonished her brothers. "He hasn't _done_ anything yet, you daft buggers! And even if he had, it wouldn't be any of your business. I don't get to dictate who you date, so you can't have control over who I date either. Or who I marry, for that matter! And Ron, Harry is your _best_ friend! You've told me countless times how awesome he is, so if he isn't good enough to be with me, then who, in your mind, is? You should all be ashamed of yourselves! Now leave him be and either sit down and shut up or get out!" she ordered definitively, showing the trademark Weasley women's fire.

Fred and George halted in their tracks, letting Harry go in their shock at their little sister's outburst, while Ron stared at her, dumbfounded, and blushed in shame at his behavior.

"Go Mum!" Al cheered.

"Hey, you can't tell us what to do!" Fred objected.

"In this case," Arthur spoke up authoritatively, "she can. Ginny is right. She is old enough to make her own decisions and if I hear of you guys interfering again you'll get to spend the rest of the break cleaning doxies out of the attic."

With a bit of grumbling, the twins returned to their seats on the floor and Harry returned to his spot next to Ron and Hermione on the sofa.

"Sorry, mate" Ron apologized softly. "I guess I just get a little overprotective when it comes to Gin."

"You think?" Harry asked with a snort, causing Hermione to chuckle and, after a moment, Ron as well.

"Good, now that we are all settled, how about we get to know these youngsters?" Dumbledore suggested as he conjured a plush chair for himself. "We've learned who your parents are," he gestured to Lily, James, and Albus, "how about the rest of you share?" he asked with a particularly impish sparkle in his eye.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Sir? Rose asked with trepidation.

"It will be fine," he replied breezily. "Young Mr. Lupin and I have discussed it and, seeing as you are going to be here for a while, or at least until we can repair your time travel device," he added with a knowing wink at Hugo, "we decided it would be pointless to restrain you from speaking of the future. We have already learned to o much for it not to have an impact, so we will have to simply deal with it in another way."

A low growl was heard from the doorway. Dumbledore turned to see Severus Snape looming over the room like the shadow of Death itself. "You're going to _Obliviate_ us," he stated as a matter-of-fact.

Of course, this statement caused all out pandemonium, but Dumbledore let loose a truly commanding bark of "ENOUGH!" which immediately made the room silent.

"I realize that no one likes to be robbed of one's memories, but you all certainly understand the imperative nature of the action. Any knowledge of the future is dangerous at any time, but with our particular climate, it could be catastrophic. Imagine if Voldemort were to find out even just what we have already learned. The full name of my young namesake over there, for instance, would be quite enlightening for the Dark Lord. Don't you agree, Severus?" he asked pointedly.

Severus scowled at the reminder that Potter, of all people, had named his son after him, but he couldn't deny the truth of Dumbledore's statement. He grunted in agreement, but clearly wasn't anymore pleased about the prospect.

Dumbledore looked around to everyone else in the room, and they reluctantly nodded in agreement. "So, with that decided," he switched gears brightly, "you can all share freely, for the time being."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Very well," Rose spoke up, "in that case, I'll share. As you all already know, I am Rose Weasley and my father is Ron Weasley."

"5 Galleons says her Mum is that weird girl who wears vegetables," George whispered to his twin.

"You're on. I say it's that bint with the purple name. Violet? Puce? Whatever," Fred countered.

"I'm a sixth year Ravenclaw and the Keeper for the Quidditch team. My favorite subjects are Tranfiguration, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies. And my Mum," Rose said pointedly, raising her voice and shooting the twins a dirty look, "is the Minister of Magic, Hermione Weasley nee Granger," she finished haughtily.

The twins' jaws dropped at the pronouncement as they looked questioningly between Hermione and Ron, who were sitting next to one another on the sofa.

"Blimey!" Ron gasped, staring at Hermione as if she were a Crumple Horned Snorkack.

Hermione was blushing furiously, subtly trying to move further away from the tall redhead. Truth be told, she had been developing passionate feelings for her ginger friend since early in their fourth year, but she doubted he felt the same. If anything, the only true emotion he ever showed for her was exasperation or annoyance. She had desperately wanted him to ask her to the Yule Ball in fourth year, but the realization that he hadn't even thought of her as a _possibility_ had squelched her hopes that their friendship could maybe develop into something more. But now…if what the girl-Rose-had said was true…

Perhaps hope wasn't lost after all.

The stunned silence was broken by a hearty laugh originating from the bespectacled boy on Hermione's other side.

"What's so funny?" Hermione demanded with offense.

"It's about damn time!" Harry replied with a happy smile. "Hey Rose, when do they finally stop being stupid and admit that they're crazy about each other?"

"Mum said she first kissed Dad in 1998," Rose answered, restraining herself from adding 'in the midst of the Final Battle'.

" _She_ kissed _him_?" Fred chortled, George and Sirius joining in.

"What's wrong with that?" Hugo asked, defending his Mum.

"He's the guy! Guys are supposed to make the first move," Sirius pointed out, making Ron turn the color of a beet.

"There is no scientific basis for that statement whatsoever. It's simply a cultural stereotype, one among many, that was designed to keep women complacent and in a subservient role. It creates an artificial male power structure and the only guys who buy into such rubbish are those who aren't secure in their own masculinity," Hugo explained calmly and objectively.

The twins raised their brows and exchanged flabbergasted looks with Sirius.

"Yep," Remus interjected with a wide grin, "he's definitely Hermione's son." This

caused the room to burst into friendly laughter. "You said Hermione is Minister of Magic?" he asked Rose.

"I sure did," Rose answered proudly, beaming brightly. "She was just elected last year and she won by a landslide.

"I'm the Minister of Magic?" Hermione asked breathlessly, unable to believe that she had missed that fact.

"The best one ever," Hugo assured her.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger," Dumbledore offered. "I can't think of a better person to fill the position."

A bevy of other congratulatory messages followed, along with Molly's crushing hug and tearful welcome to the family. Biting his lip and staring solidly at the carpet at his feet Ron also offered his congratulations to his friend and would-be wife.

' _Hermione's the Minister of Magic! Blimey, that's impressive! And she's my_ _wife_ _! That's just…insane! Sure, I've liked her since the Yule Ball, but why in the world would she_ _ever_ _want to be with someone like me? She's the brightest witch of our generation and I'm…I'm nothing. Merlin, I thought for sure she'd end up with Harry! He's a ridiculously powerful wizard, the best Seeker in a century, and the bloody Boy-Who-Lived! Why would she want me over him? And what about Viktor Krum? He's a professional Quidditch star for Merlin's sake, and he's obviously interested in her! I didn't think I had a chance with her! I wonder what changes._

"Thanks, Ron," Hermione offered shyly, pleased but unsure exactly how to act around her best friend now. Would he expect her to kiss him now _? 'God, I hope not!'_ she thought in a flash of panic. ' _I like him, but I'm not ready for that!'_

Sensing the nervous tension in the room, Sirius decided to change the subject. "So, how about you, the lovely Mrs Lupin? You said you're a Weasley by blood as well?"

"Yes, that's correct," Victorie answered, ignoring the flirtatious tone that was causing Teddy to growl under his breath. "My father is Bill Weasley," she explained, causing the eldest Weasley son to blanch, but then smile contentedly.

"Who is your Mum, dear?" Molly asked, on pins and needles. Personally, she had always believed Tonks would be a fantastic match for Bill, but despite her best efforts, no sparks had ever seemed to fly between them.

"Fleur DeLacour is my Mum," Victorie replied with a French flourish in the pronunciation of her name. She noticed that her Grandmother, and her two teenaged aunts recoiled at the announcement, but she didn't let it bother her. Her Mum had explained to her that the Weasleys hadn't liked her much before she married Bill, but they warmed up to her throughout the war and they all got on well now (or, in the future). "Oh, and I have two younger siblings; one little sister, Dominique, who is 18, and one younger brother, Louis, who is 15."

"Damn, Bill!" George shouted with a suggestive smile. "Looks like you're keeping up the Weasley tradition all right!"

"Well, with a hot part-Veela wife, is it any wonder?" Fred chimed in, wiggling his ginger eyebrows.

"Frederick Septimus Weasley! One more comment like that and I will wash your mouth out with a _Suds spell!_ "Molly shouted angrily _._ Fred rolled his eyes, but only after Molly had turned her attention back to Victorie. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, waving away her threat. "What I really want to know is, who do I end up with?"

Victorie looked at Teddy pleadingly, but was just met with a small shoulder shrug. "You…you end up with-" she faltered.

"You're still a bachelor, Uncle Fred," Al piped in quickly. "You didn't want to settle for just one girl when there were so many beauties out there to sample, you said," he elaborated.

Fred smiled widely and laughed. "Yep, that sounds like me." Molly huffed at the response, clearly in a tizzy about something. "Oh come on, Mum, you can't seriously be disappointed! You have a thousand grandkids from Bill, Ronnie, and Ginny! Plus I'm sure the rest of your sons went the boring route and settled down. Right, guys?"

"Uh, well, most of them did," Al answered again. "Uncle George you marry Angelina (he ignored the grumbled 'You stole my date, you wanker!' this elicited from Fred) and have two kids, Freddie and Roxanne (he also ignored the excited shout of 'You named your kid after me?! That is wicked! Confusing, but wicked!), and Uncle Percy marries Audrey-they met at the Ministry-and they have two kids as well, Lucy and Molly."

"P-Percy?" Molly stuttered hopefully. "Does that mean he…comes back?"

"Yes, Grandmum, he does."

"Oh Arthur!" she cried as she threw her arms around her husband, who smiled with tearful eyes.

"And he names his daughter after you, love," Arthur pointed out, causing his wife to burst into happy tears. "What about Charlie?" he asked to distract his wife.

"Oh," Al prevaricated, unsure if he should reveal his Uncle's orientation. He would hate it if someone outed him to his parents (in the past or not) so he figured he shouldn't do it to Uncle Charlie, but it wasn't accurate to say he was single. Al had long ago learned that the most convincing lie was the one with a grain of truth, so he tried to stick to that in all of his lies. "He isn't married, either," he said vaguely.

"Don't tell me he's still too wrapped up in his dragons to find a nice girl!" Molly fussed, causing her sons and Sirius to laugh at the kinky implication.

"Not exactly," Al dodged. "He's in a long term relationship. He just hasn't gotten married, yet."

"Oh! Fantastic! I was worried he'd be alone forever!" Molly cried in relief. "Who is he seeing? Do I know her?"

"I don't think so. Nicki is a dragon breeder at the reserve with Uncle Charlie," he explained, thanking Merlin for Nickolas' unisex nick-name.

Bill raised an eyebrow at Al, seeming to ask 'is that so?' in disbelief, but Al chose to ignore it for the moment. He hoped that his eldest uncle wouldn't ask whatever he was thinking aloud, but at least the veritiserum had worn off by now if he did.

"So Charlie still works at the reserve in the future?" Ginny asked, sensing there was something brewing that needed to be nipped in the bud.

"Works there? He runs the place!" James replied boisterously. "He's in the midst of opening another reserve in Wales, actually."

"Damn! Overachiever," George grumbled without any real resentment. "What about the rest of us? What do we do in the future?"

"You guys," Rose explained, pointing to the twins, "open your own joke shop. It's exceedingly successful, and you're up to five stores across England, Ireland, and Scotland right now. You're planning to open your first store in America next year."

"Bloody hell!" Fred exclaimed happily, giving George an exuberant hug. "And you said we were wasting all of our time with this 'joke nonsense,' Mum."

"There'll be no living with them after this, you know that, right?" Ron sighed to his parents.

"Until you're all _Obliviated,_ " Snape snarked from the corner.

"What does ickle Ronniekins grow up to be?" Fred prodded, ignoring the Potions Master's acerbic comments.

"Dad's the Assistant Head Auror," Hugo replied with a proud smile at his teenaged father.

"What?!" nearly everyone shouted, including Ron himself.

"Yep. He joins the corps shortly after his last year in Hogwarts and works his way up. He's apprehended over 150 dangerous criminals in that time."

"Wow, way to go, Ronnie," Bill whistled, joined by a chorus of agreement from the room.

"Damn! Assistant Head Auror and Minister of Magic? You two must be loaded!" Fred gaped.

"Yeah, especially when you factor Hugo into the equation," Scorpius chimed in, having spoken up for the first time in a while since he didn't exactly feel comfortable in a room filled with people who (at the current moment) hated his family.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron growled, not trusting the Draco-clone in the slightest.

"Nothing derogatory," Scorp assured while trying to keep himself from lashing out in annoyance at the prejudice he was sensing from every side. "It's just that Hugh's already a millionaire," he shrugged.

If the revelation of Ron's career earned shocked outbursts, this one caused a deafening roar that put that one to shame. All eyes turned to the seemingly innocent little boy, and he immediately began to blush all the way to the tips of his ears.

"Is he serious?" Hermione asked, eyeing Scorpius critically.

"No, I'm Sir-" Sirius began to joke, but he was cut off by Remus clapping his hand over his mouth.

"Yeah," Hugo admitted softly, "but it isn't a big deal or anything," he shrugged modestly. This, of course, just caused everyone's eyes to widen further.

"Not a big deal?" Ron sputtered. "Having millions of Galleons sure sounds like a big deal to me!" he said with a definitive edge of resentment.

"He didn't mean it like that," Al asserted. "Believe me, Hugh is the least spoiled kid on the planet! He said it isn't a big deal because to him, it really isn't. He hasn't changed at all since he made the money. He's still a sweet, innocent, far-too-trusting, weird little genius. In fact, the only thing he's done with the money is give some to Grandmum and Grandpa to fix up the Burrow, donate to a bunch of charities, and buy a ton of Honeydukes chocolate," he smirked.

"You _made_ all that money? How?" Ron asked incredulously, already rather proud of his future son.

"I invented a magical portable music player that became pretty popular," he answered shyly.

"Pfft," James snorted. "Pretty popular? _Everyone_ has one! And that's just one of his many, many inventions. Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, I hate to break this to you, but your future son is an engineering genius. He is particularly good at merging Muggle electronics, thanks to Grandpa's influence, and magic. Oh, and Rosie knows the answer to literally every question, ever. She's the quintessential Ravenclaw. They're both creepy smart."

"Take after their Mum, there," Harry smirked, causing Hermione to blush, but she couldn't hide her proud smile.

"I guess you're a Ravenclaw as well?" Harry asked the young boy.

"Oh no," Hugo shook his head. "I love learning, but I'm more interested in how that knowledge can be used to impact people. I guess that's one of the reasons I was sorted into Hufflepuff."

"A Hufflepuff?" Ron sputtered, earning a fierce warning glare from Hermione. "Wow. So between us, we have all the Houses covered," he finished, giving the bushy haired girl a look that clearly said 'I wasn't going say anything mean to him. He's our son for Merlin's sake!'

"So what about the rest of you? You three are out of school, right?" Sirius asked Teddy, Victorie, and James.

"As you know, I'm a Healer at St. Mungos, married to Teddy, and expecting our first child," Torie answered easily. "I'm no genius, but I do have a killer fashion sense and can coordinate an outfit like no one's business," she smiled.

"Plus, she was Head Girl and an amazing Chaser for Gryffindor while at Hogwarts. She held the record for most number of goals in a game until Jamie came along," Teddy bragged for his wife.

"Impressive," Bill beamed at his future daughter.

"Thanks Daddy," she replied with a smile that clearly showed she was used to being 'Daddy's girl.'

"Although Teddy's got plenty of right to brag as well," she added brightly, turning towards Remus, who had been disconcertingly quiet for some time. "Your son was Head Boy, an amazing Beater, and scored the highest Transfiguration NEWT in history. He got a perfect score! Oh, and he founded the second generation of Marauders."

"Ha-ha! Way to go, Teddy!" Sirius rejoiced, clapping the young blue-haired man on the back.

"Now he's an Auror, specializing in the investigative department, and the best husband a girl could ask for," she finished. He rolled his eyes dramatically at her gushing, but there was nothing but love shining in his eyes.

"And he's the best big bro in the world, too," Lily added with a giddy grin.

"Big bro? Wait, I thought you were Harry and Ginny's daughter?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"I am, but Teddy's an honorary Potter. Dad's his Godfather and he was always over our house growing up, so we all just think of him as our big bro."

"I'm your Godfather?" Harry asked in surprise. Teddy nodded and gave him a huge grin. "Wow…thanks Remus."

"You're…uh, you're welcome," he said distractedly, still looking like he might throw up at any moment.

Harry and Sirius eyed one another knowingly, worried about Remus' reaction to his future son. "Hey Remus," Sirius spoke up. "What do you say you help me out in the kitchen for a minute? It looks like we're out of tea and I, for one, could sure use some." Although his voice was light, the look in his eyes clearly told Remus that this was not optional. With a deep sigh the werewolf got up and followed his best friend into the kitchen, his future son following a few steps behind.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Alright, what's wrong?" Sirius asked in his demanding 'Black' voice the moment the man entered the kitchen.

"What do you mean?" Remus played dumb.

"Don't give me that, Moony. You've been acting like you've just been given a week to live ever since you found out that Ted's your son and I can't understand why. I get that it's a shock to meet your son from the future, but he's an awesome kid! I'd be psyched to find out he was my kid, so what's your problem?"

Remus sighed deeply, knowing it would be futile to lie to Sirius. Even after being separated for 12 years, the man could still read him like a book. "Sirius, need I remind you that I'm a werewolf?"

"So?"

"So? So? What if I passed my curse onto him? What if I hurt his mother? He hasn't mentioned her yet, and neither have any of the other kids. Maybe I killed her! And who the hell would be with me, anyway? What could I possibly have to offer a woman? I'm a middle-aged, prematurely gray bookworm who doesn't have two knuts to rub together, can't hold down a job, and turns into a bloodthirsty monster each month! I'm a social pariah, Sirius! Anyone who was with me would only suffer. How could I have been so irresponsible as to inflict that kind of horrid life on that innocent boy in there?" he cried, hanging his head in his hand.

"Dad," a soft but steady voice called from the door.

The two Marauders looked up to see Teddy standing just inside the door, apparently having snuck in while Remus was lamenting and tearing himself apart emotionally. "Teddy," Remus gasped, ashamed of breaking down in front of the boy.

"Dad, _please_ don't beat yourself up," he pleaded as he sunk to his knees in front of his father, grasping his hands firmly between his own. "My life hasn't been horrid. Far from it. I've been surrounded by people who love me unconditionally, and there was never a dull moment among the Potters and Weasleys," he smirked. "As for Mum, you didn't hurt her, and you certainly didn't coerce her into being with you. From what Grandmum tells me, she followed you around like a puppy trying to convince you to give her a chance. You gave her all the same arguments you just told Siri, but she wasn't buying any of it. She loved you, Dad, and she didn't give a Blast-Ended Skrewt's arse that you were a werewolf. She kept pursuing you until some sense got through that hard head of yours, and once you gave into your feelings, you made each other so happy. Sure, some idiots had a problem with you being together because of the werewolf thing, but all of your friends supported you and knew the truth. The truth, Dad, is that you are _not_ a monster, and you are _not_ worthless. You are one of the smartest, most caring, bravest men I've ever encountered, and I am in awe of how strong you are. Fighting your curse all the time can't be easy, but you never _ever_ give up. I love you so much, Dad," he admitted as tears gathered in his eyes, "and if I am half the man you are, then I consider myself the luckiest man on the planet. Oh, and one other thing. I'm not a werewolf, so stop feeling guilty."

"You're, you're not?" Remus asked with desperate hope, his own amber eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Nope. As a matter of fact, I seem to have gotten most of the benefits-disproportionate strength, speed, and senses, without the drawback of a painful forced transformation. So really, I should be thanking you. You're probably the reason I am a good Auror. Well, that and the influence of Mum and Harry."

"Speaking of, who is your Mum?" Sirius asked, unable to resist.

"Actually, Uncle Sirius," Teddy laid it on thick, "my Mum's your cousin."

"My…cousin?" he blanched, trying to think of what sadistic, evil bitch in his family could have ensnared his sweet, trusting best friend in her awful web.

"Yes, Dad calls her Dora, but I believe she prefers for most to call her Tonks," he revealed.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Sirius breathed, relieved that it wasn't a descendant of Narcissa, or, perish the thought, Bellatrix! "Wait a minute! She's like, 13 years younger than us! Remus, you old dog, you!" he nudged him with his elbow.

"I think you mean wolf," Teddy corrected with a smile. "You're the only dog around here."

On the other side of the door, Kingsley, the twins, and surprisingly Albus Dumbledore, were listening in on an Extendable Ear. _'Tonks is going to love this!'_ the Auror thought. _'She's had a crush on him for months but he never showed any interest in her. I wonder if we can clue her in. We're all going to be Obliviated anyway…'_ Kingsley looked questioningly at Dumbledore who, as always, seemed to know what was being asked despite no words having been spoken. The elderly wizard nodded his head slightly in approval and Kingsley snuck out to Floo call the young Auror.

Remus was struck dumb by the pronouncement. _'Tonks? Nymphadora Tonks? Sirius's_ _much_ _younger cousin…with the pink hair and the combat boots? I guess that explains Teddy's hair, but what in Merlin's name would a girl like that ever see in me? Is it the werewolf factor? Maybe she thinks it would be exciting and adventurous to be with a Dark creature? But why would I ever go along with it? Don't get me wrong, she's a very attractive girl, but no good can come from her being with me. I'd just tie her down and probably bore her to tears! Plus, of course, she's an Auror and I am a werewolf. I'm sure the Ministry would just love that match! And as if that wasn't bad enough, we have a kid together! What was I thinking?!_

"Hey!" Teddy admonished, breaking Remus out of his inner worries. "No freaking out. Remember what I said? Mum loved you, and you loved her. It doesn't matter why, or if it seems weird to you right now, it worked, and it was real. So, just give her a chance? Ok?"

"Ok," Remus replied in a stunned daze.

"Thata boy!" Sirius encouraged. "Now, go bring the tea into the living room. I'm going to clean up and I'll be in in a minute." Sirius gave Teddy a telling look that screamed 'you stay right here!'

"Oh, uh, I'll help!" he volunteered awkwardly. Thankfully Remus was still too catatonic to notice and he drifted back to the living room without comment.

"Ok, spill kid," Sirius said rather, well, seriously.

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked with genuine confusion.

"What happens to Moony and my cousin?" he pressed, taking in the boy's wide eyes and cutting him off before he could deny anything. "You were talking about them in the past tense, and when you first arrived and laid eyes on Moony it was like you were seeing a treasure for the first time, not someone you see every day."

Teddy sighed, knowing that he was caught and making a mental note to be wary of his tenses in the future (or in the past…damn, time travel was complicated!) "Mum and Dad both died in the Final Battle of the war," he admitted sadly.

Sirius' heart constricted in his chest and he found it difficult to breathe. "They both…die? No. No, that can't happen! Not after all the suffering Moony's gone through! You're telling me he _finally_ finds happiness just to die!" he growled. "When? When does it happen?" he demanded, looking every bit the deranged psychopath that he was purported to be by the Ministry.

"In 1998."

"98? But, that's only three years from now! And you…you said you were born in 98!" he cried desperately, wracked with despair.

"Yes. I was three months old when they died. Grandma Andromeda took me in and raised me, with Harry's help."

"So you never knew them? Either of them?" Sirius asked with growing horror.

Teddy just shook his head as a few tears he had been trying to hold back broke free and trailed down his cheek.

"Bollocks!" Sirius shouted angrily. "I'm not going to let it happen. I'm going to save them," he vowed, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Sirius, nobody wants them to live more than I do, but we can't just change history! Who knows what the consequences could be? What if saving them someone allows Voldemort to win? Or we end up living in a world ruled by Apes?" Teddy cried desperately.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take and if-wait, what?" he stopped short, finally processing Teddy's second scenario.

"It's a Muggle movie," he waved dismissively. "The point is that messing with time always ends badly."

"And yet here you all are, making tidal waves in the stream of time," Sirius quipped superiorly.

"Only because it's a matter of-" Teddy countered, only to be cut off.

"Life and death?" Sirius finished with a raised brow.

"Ah, fuck," Teddy sighed, knowing he had walked right into that one. "Damn Blacks and your sneaky mind games! Oh, fine, do what you want," he conceded as his soul filled with guilt. _'It doesn't cost me anything to give him this peace of mind. By the time Mum and Dad die, he'll have been dead for years and unable to change it anyway. Damn it, I wish I could save them all.'_

"Thank you," Sirius said haughtily, pleased to have outsmarted Remus' son and gotten his way. The pair returned to the living room just in time to see Tonks stumble out of the Floo with Kingsley. The metamorphmagus was wide-eyed and looked as if she had just seen a Nundu. She looked at the odd collection of kids sitting around the living room _'time travelers!'_ and marveled at everything Kingsley had told her. At first, she thought he had to be pulling her leg. Kingsley was all business when he was on the clock, but the large Auror actually had a keen sense of humor on his down time. In the end, though, the story was just too far-fetched to be made up. She had to come see for herself. _'Especially if what he said about me and Remus is true! I've been head over heels for that sweet, sexy, bookish wolf for a year but he's stymied me at every turn! He dismisses all of my flirting and has never shown a hint of interest in me…but if we actually end up having a son together…he has to change his mind about me…eventually.'_

Her eyes fell on the object of her affection, who was stirring sugar into his tea, listening to a jubilant redheaded girl telling everyone about her favorite subject, Care of Magical Creatures.

"…then Hagrid let me help him crossbreed a Thestral and a Unicorn and-Tonks?" she exclaimed.

"You crossbred Tonks?" James asked, spitting his tea.

"No, you berk! Tonks is here!" she explained with a roll of her eyes, gesturing to the Floo.

Remus whipped his head around with unnatural speed, sloshing his tea all over the table. "D-Dora?" he asked with trepidation.

"Ta wolfie," she breathed out with noticeable affection. "I hear you've had some… _interesting_ visitors today," she added with a friendly smile, trying to put the older man at ease.

"Yeah, you could say that," he agreed with a little smirk, gesturing to the tall, well-built blue haired boy near the kitchen door.

"Hi Mum," Teddy said meekly, desperately trying to contain his urge to run up to her and grab her in a crushing hug.

The accident-prone girl inhaled deeply at the sight of her future son. "Hi…son," she answered, walking in a daze over to the boy. "Merlin! You're so tall!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"I can change that if it makes you uncomfortable," he explained with a lopsided smile. Suddenly, his 6' 2" tall frame rippled and shifted to a more average height of 5'10.

"Oh my God!" Tonks gasped. "You're a metamorphmagus?"

"Yep, just like my Mum," he answered proudly. Suddenly he was pulled into a fierce hug by his young mother. "Oh, and you've got my sense of style too!" she gushed, playing with his spiked blue locks.

"Better yours than mine," Remus joked with a gesture towards his worn brown cardigan sweater.

"Hey! I happen to find that buttoned-up, studious professor look to be very, _very_ sexy," she purred seductively.

"Ew, Mum!" Teddy protested, but his eyes were filled with pleased laughter.

"Mum," she mused emotionally. "I like the sound of that." With a sly smile, she beckoned to Remus. "Come on, Remy. Family hug time. Non-optional."

Remus shook his head but laughed lightly and joined the two of them, planting himself on the other side of Teddy as she grabbed at the two men and squeezed them for all she was worth. The entire group of time travelers was smiling at the touching scene, and a few of them had tears in their eyes.

"So, what did I miss?" the bright-haired Auror asked as she broke the hug and plopped herself on the arm of the couch.

"We were just learning about our guests, Miss Tonks," Dumbledore replied amiably, "and learning a few things about ourselves as well." Dumbledore summed up all that had been shared thus far and the group picked up where they left off, which was at the in-depth introductions of the Potter kids. "James, I believe we were about to hear about you."

"Right," the teen confirmed. "I was a Gryffindor at Hogwarts, a Chaser and captain of the Quidditch team, a proud member of the New Marauders," he boasted with a wink at Sirius and Remus, "and now I am a Chaser for the newly crowned Champions, the Cannons."

"The Cannons!" Ron exclaimed with a small child's excitement.

"What he's leaving out is that he is the best Chaser the professional world has seen in a century! He was recruited by every single pro team! Oh, except yours, Mum," Al added in on his brother's behalf.

"Mine?" Ginny asked in bewilderment.

"Oh, yeah, you don't know," Al realized as Scorp rolled his eyes at him. "You were a Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies before becoming the Quidditch Correspondent for the _Daily Prophet_. Obviously, Jamie couldn't join the all girls team."

"Well…" Scorpius mocked as he slowly came out of his wary shell, earning himself a shove from James.

"That's funny, coming from you, you poofter," James dug without any heat. Suddenly, though, the room went utterly silent. Then a low angry growl was heard from the doorway.

"You bloody Potters never change!" Severus Snape snarled. "Always degrading others to make yourselves look better! You don't give a damn about who you hurt as long as you entertain your adoring fans! Arrogant, vindictive, thoughtless little cretins!" he raged.

"Whoa, whoa, Professor," Scorpius stepped up calmly to the raging man who was yelling in James' face. "I appreciate you standing up for me, really I do, and I know it would mean the world to my father, but your ire isn't necessary in this case. James wasn't being hurtful towards me, not really. We mock each other all the time, like I just did by insinuating he's a girl. He's like my big bother; I make fun of him, he makes fun of me, but when it comes down to it, he's always there to defend me, support me, and stand up to the prejudiced arses in the school who hate me because of my last name. I know, given your history with his grandfather, it's hard for you to believe that James is a good guy, but he really is. Whatever James the First may have done to you, _this_ James isn't him, and neither is Mr. Potter," he explained soothingly and rationally, gesturing towards Harry. "Besides, in this case, he was just speaking the truth," he added with a negligent shrug of his aristocratic shoulders.

"Excuse me?" Severus growled, thinking the boy had to be brainwashed. There was no way Draco Malfoy's son grew up to defend the Potters!

"I _am_ a poofter," Scorpius confirmed, laughing a little nervously at Al's reaction, which was to throw his hands up in the air and mutter a few disparaging comments such as "and he calls _me_ a poor excuse for a Slytherin!"

"Scorp, you don't have to-" James tried to intercede.

"I know I don't have to, Jamie, but I want to. I'm tired of hiding who I am, and since everyone here is going to be _Obliviated_ after we leave anyway, this seems like the perfect group to start coming out to. So, in short everyone, I am gay." He announced with resounding finality.

Everyone other than the time travelers gaped at the boy, unsure if they just heard what they thought they had heard. "Well, good for you," Hermione finally stated definitively. "That couldn't have been an easy thing to say, but it was very brave. You shouldn't have to hide who you really are."

"I couldn't agree more, Miss Granger," Dumbledore supported with a fierce, yet somewhat sad, twinkle in his blue eyes. "Love, in any form, should be celebrated and treasured. Hopefully someday the world will be able to see that."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley, Professor," Scorpius said to the two who had spoken up on his behalf.

"Why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Mr. Malfoy," Albus continued, hoping that his current students would be able to get past their prejudice of the young man once they learned more about him.

"Certainly, Sir," he acquiesced with the typical Malfoy air of refinement. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy, the only son of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. I am 16 and a sixth year Slytherin, along with one of my best friends, Al Potter. Although Rose is also my best friend. I'm the Slytherin house Seeker and I hope to become a Healer once I graduate."

Many of the guests around the room looked at him in disbelief, but the time travelers just beamed at the blonde boy and how effectively he shocked everyone with his life's ambition and his choice of best friends.

"Your _best friend_ is _my_ daughter?" Ron gaped. "But, but she's a Weasley, and a half-blood!"

"What difference does that make?" Scorpius asked, amused by the looks of incredulity from everyone around him, even the adults.

"You honestly don't care about blood status?" Arthur asked skeptically.

"Of course not, Sir. I know what my grandfather's opinions on it were, and to a certain extent, my father's, but I am neither of them and times have changed. My father encouraged me, above all else, to be true to myself and make my own decisions instead of just following the crowd. Besides, when I first arrived at Hogwarts, there were many students who discriminated against me based on my last name, and I would never, ever, want anyone to feel the way I did because of something they couldn't control. The fact that Al and Rosie were the first two people who were actually nice to me may have colored my perceptions as well," he admitted with a sly smile.

"Wow, I guess things really do get better after the war," Harry observed with marked relief. _'Maybe all of this fighting really will be worth it in the end.'_

"That just leaves us-"

"-the two other little Potters," the twins said, looking pointedly at Lily and Al.

Lily beamed up at the twins as she took the reins. "As I mentioned, I'm 14 and my favorite subject is Care of Magical Creatures, although Herbology is pretty cool too. I'm a fourth year in Gryffindor just like James, Mum, and Dad were, and I am the Seeker on the Quidditch team. I'm not a crazy super genius, but I do have one special talent that's pretty cool," she teased with a twinkle in her eye.

"I'll bite," Bill stepped in with a smirk. "What's your special talent?"

"Uncle Sirius," Lily asked sweetly, "could you do me a favor and please turn into Padfoot?"

"Uh, ok," the convict agreed, a bit wary of the fiery girl who seemed just a little bit _too_ innocent at the moment. Still, he complied, and within a moment a large black dog stood in his place.

To the shock of everyone other than the time travelers, Lily suddenly began barking at the dog. Padfoot thumped his tail and barked back. This continued for a few moments, until Padfoot shifted back into Sirius.

"Thanks Uncle Sirius. Now, if you could please write down what we said, and don't show me," she instructed. The man summoned a quill and parchment and quickly scratched out a few lines, showing it to Remus, who was standing beside him.

"I said hello to Padfoot and asked if he was able to understand me. He said yes, then asked if I actually understood him. I said that I did. He asked how it was possible and I told him that my special talent is that I can speak to animals; virtually all animals, not just Animagus's or magical creatures. Then he asked me wha equaled, and I said 15. He then asked me what eating Gillyweed does, and I said let's you breathe under water."

Everyone looked at Sirius, wide-eyed, ranging from awe to skeptical disbelief. "That's what Sirius wrote," Remus confirmed breathlessly. "Look," he instructed as the man in question laid the parchment on the table for all to see. It confirmed everything Lily had said.

"That's amazing!" Tonks gushed.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "I've heard of Parselmouths, obviously, and some people who can speak to Mermaids, Manticores, and on one occasion a Unicorn, but never anything like this!"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "You say in the future that your research shows it may be a combination of Dad's ability to talk to snakes, our family's natural proclivity towards becoming Animagi, and some latent Elemental abilities."

"Fascinating," Remus said in awe as Hermione nodded in agreement. Harry just looked struck dumb at the thought of his own offspring having such an unusual gift.

"Damn Harry! Your kids are awesome!" Sirius exclaimed, causing the young boy to blush shyly. "Can you talk to animals too, mini-Harry?" he asked excitedly, turning towards Al.

"My name is Al," the messy haired boy growled with a glare that nearly measured up to that of his namesake and actually made said namesake smirk. "And no, I can't speak to animals like my sister can. I'm just a regular wizard. I'm a sixth year in Slytherin and my favorite subjects are Ancient Ruins and Potions."

"How come Malfoy's the Seeker for Slytherin and not you?" Ron asked the eerily familiar looking young man.

"Probably because I'm _not_ my father," he said with clear annoyance. "I don't play Quidditch, other than at family gatherings for fun."

"It's ok, Al," Scorpius soothed as he laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder to assuage his anger and frustration

"You sure aren't your father," Harry chimed in, knowing all too well how it felt to constantly be compared to your father, and to be expected to act a certain way just because he did. He couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult it must be for his son, though, constantly being compared to the bloody 'Boy-Who-Lived' and all the ridiculous expectations that damned title carried! "because I'm absolute pants at Potions!"

Al cracked a smile at his father's lame attempt to lighten the mood, happy to see that the teenage Harry was just as cheesy yet intuitive as the adult version. Harry had always understood how miserable it made Al to be compared to him and how everyone always expected the boy to act exactly as his father. He loved and admired his Dad greatly, of course, but he just wasn't _him_ , and Harry got that. He had always encouraged Al to be his own person and reprimanded anyone who tried to get Al to be more like him.

"Truer words were never spoken," Severus Snape quipped from the edge of the room in his deep deadpanned voice.

Al smirked at the comment, recalling stories that Harry had shared with him of his numerous disastrous attempts at various potions before encountering the 'Half-Blood Prince's' textbook.

"Al, you're being far too modest, as usual!" James admonished. "He's a freaking genius and the schemes and strategies he comes up with would have put Sun Tzu, or even Albus Dumbledore, to shame," he insisted, giving the elderly wizard in the room a wink. I mean, hell, he came up with this whole 'break into the Dept. of Mysteries and steal an experimental time travel device' plan in a few hours!"

"James!" nearly all of the time travelers cried, some going so far as to whack him in the shoulders and arms for his big mouth.

"What? He did! Oh, and his magical power level is off the charts and he hasn't even reached magical maturity yet!"

"You broke into the Department of Mysteries? And _stole_ something!" Molly asked, appalled and furious all at once.

"Oh!" James gasped, finally realizing what he had revealed and why his cohorts had reacted as they had. "Uh, well…yeah, but only because it was the only way to stop the curse!" he added quickly. "Otherwise I was certain to die, Grandmum," he said with his bottom lip stuck slightly out and wide, pleading, innocent eyes.

"I suppose that's true," she relented after a few moments staring into his doe-eyes.

Shaking his head at his wife's hot and cold temper when it came to family, Arthur spoke up. "Speaking of stopping the curse, what exactly is your plan to get You-Know-Who's blood?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Er…well," Al hesitated as all of the other kids turned to him, awaiting an answer to that very same question. "You see, the thing is, the actual plan is moot now because we arrived a few years earlier than we were supposed to."

"A few _years_?" Bill asked with stunned curiosity.

"That's a hell of a miscalculation, Mate," George piped in with a smirk.

"It wasn't a miscalculation Uncle George," Rosie clarified. "These two dunderheads decided to get into a scrap right near the temporal disk and shoved Hugo into the controls, activating it before he was done programming it," she growled with a murderous look at her cousins.

"You all were going to ditch me!" James blurted back in offense, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.

"Because you're ill, James! We weren't excluding you because we dislike you or anything, we just didn't want to risk your health!" Scorpius insisted. "We love you, you stupid prat! How do you think we'd feel if the stress of the travel was too much and you collapsed again, or worse?"

"Bugger!" Torie suddenly swore, drawing perplexed stares from everyone in the room. "James, please tell me you have your potions?" she asked, clinging to a desperate thread of hope.

"Of course," he answered easily. "Al planned to bring a bunch of them with us."

"Oh fuck," Al mumbled as he buried his face in his hands. "James, you weren't supposed to come."

"Yeah Al, we've covered that. Try to keep up," he ribbed with a teasing smirk.

"No! I mean we were planning on sneaking off without you so I had no reason to bring your potions along! Shite James, I totally bollocksed this up! What are we going to do? Without those potions you'll waste away in a week!" he moaned, tears gathering in his emerald eyes.

"We'll just have to send you back tomorrow, then," Scorpius suggested, rubbing Al's back to comfort him.

"We can't," Hugo said sadly. "The TDD is busted and it's going to take me at least a month to fix it, probably far longer."

"Fuck," Scorpius muttered as Al began to sob loudly.

"I'll make them!" Victorie suddenly shouted. "The potions, I'll make them for you James."

"You can do that?" James asked in surprise. He knew Torie was an amazing Healer, and a very intelligent witch, but he didn't know she could actually construct the potions she dispensed.

"Of course! I think," she added unsurely at the end. "I mean, I know the recipes for all of them, so I should be able to put them together. I've never done these particular potions per se, but I've made others so I don't see why I couldn't do these. Besides, I am sure Al would be willing to help, and he's a genius at Potions!"

A loud, haughty scoff drew the attention of the time travelers. "A Potter, a genius at Potions? I'd sooner believe that the Dark Lord was giving up his wicked ways to become a Nun!"

"Well you'd better tell ol' Snake Face to don his habit then, because it's true," James answered, causing Harry, Ron, Ginny, and the twins to burst out into raucous laughter. "Not only that, _you_ are his mentor at school," the wild-haired boy added smugly.

"Impossible!" Severus bristled. "I would never voluntarily take on such an arrogant, dunderheaded pupil!"

"Now Severus, that's hardly fair," Dumbledore interjected politely. "You don't even know the boy yet. Perhaps, seeing as he is in your House, you get to know him in the future and find out that your preconceived notions were erroneous."

"He can show you, if you'd like, Sir," Scorp suggested. "Give him a potion to make. I assure you, regardless of which you choose, he'll brew it correctly."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Dumbledore beamed, earning himself a Glare of Messy Death from Severus. "Then, if he proves competent, the three of you can brew James's potions."

"The three of us? Why am I being forced to help?" Severus snapped.

"They will need supplies and a place to work, Severus, both of which are not easy to procure when one doesn't actually exist yet. You are in the ideal position to provide these necessities, and given that a life is literally on the line, I want the most talented Potions Master in the world working on this. Surely you will oblige me."

Not at all pleased at the command veiled as a request but knowing there was little he could do once Albus Dumbledore had made up his mind about something, Severus huffed and turned to the Harry Potter clone. "You will have one hour, exactly, so you'd best get to the lab expeditiously," he barked as he gestured down the stairs to the basement lab he had at Grimmauld.

"Yes Sir!" Al replied with alacrity, enthusiasm and awe shining in his bright green eyes. He ran full steam down to the cellar, jubilant at the prospect of being able to physically brew with his idol.

"You'd better watch out, Scorp," James warned, "You might lose your man to Tall, Dark, and Snarky."

"James!" Rose hissed as she punched him in the shoulder harshly.

"Ow! What?" the brunette boy exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes at her and rubbed his aching shoulder, oblivious to the quiet that had fallen over the room and the wide-eyed stares that were directed at him from around the room.

"What did you mean by that?" Harry asked softly, still looking stunned.

"Huh?" James asked, now realizing that everyone was gaping at him.

"You said Scorpius might lose _his man_ ," Harry elaborated.

"Oh fuck!" James swore, his error finally dawning upon him.

"Yeah, understand why I hit you now?" Rosie asked, her nostrils flaring in anger. "I swear Jamie, you're worse than Hagrid at keeping secrets!" she scowled as she crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.

"Are you and my son" _my son!_ "dating?" Harry finally gathered the courage to ask Scorpius. The room waited for the answer with bated breath.

"Al's going to put one of his experimental potions in your butterbeer, you know that, right?" Scorp threatened James before answering with a sigh. "Yes, we are. But it's more than just dating. We've been together for two years and we love each more than anything," the blonde boy admitted with his head held defiantly high.

"We-we know about this? In the future?" Ginny asked, having unwittingly clasped Harry's hand.

"No," Scorpius admitted with resignation. "We've been planning on telling you, but to be honest, Al's scared of how you'll react. He doesn't think you'll kick him out or anything like that, but he's always felt a bit like an outcast in your family-the only Slytherin, the only one who loves Potions, the only one who doesn't play Quidditch-and now, the only one who is gay. He's afraid that it will distance you from him and you'll treat him differently."

"What?" Harry asked forlornly. _How could my own son be afraid to tell me something like this? Does he really think I'd care or treat him different because of it? What kind of a father am I? Especially since Scorpius said he already feels like he doesn't belong in the family!_ "I wouldn't care about that. I don't care! Why would he think that?"

Scorpius shrugged, truly at a loss of what to tell his boyfriend's father. He personally believed that Future Harry would give his son a big hug and tell him how brave he was when he finally came out, but Al was paranoid about it for some reason. "I honestly don't know Mr. Potter. I've told him he's being illogical. You two are the most caring parents I've ever seen. You support all your kids, regardless of what stupid stuff they do," he said as he pointedly stared at James.

"Uh, so, you were saying your plan to get You-Know-Who's blood got bollocksed up?" Bill asked to relive the tense heaviness that had permeated the room after James' slip.

"Yes," Hugo chimed in. "In the time we were supposed to have arrived in, we knew where Voldemort would be and Scorp would have been able to get to him fairly easily, but now, we have no idea where to find him, let alone where we'd be able to sneak up on him while he sleeps."

"Wait a minute. You were going to take his blood while he slept?!" Ron exclaimed, sure his ears were deceiving him.

"That's correct," Hugo answered matter-of-factly.

"How?" Hermione inquired.

They all looked to Scorpius, who was the de-facto second in command. "Eh, what the hell, we've told them almost everything else anyway. A few years from now, Voldemort makes my ancestral home his base of operations. From what my Father has said, he takes over the place like he owns it, defiling it with his Dark rituals. It took Father years to renovate and get rid of all the remaining magic traces. Anyway, he slept there during this time, and seeing as the Manor is charmed to let in all those of the Malfoy bloodline, it would, in theory, admit me. I was going to polyjuice myself into my Father, slip a _Sleeping Draught_ into his evening tea, then sneak in to extract the blood, hopefully without getting caught in the process."

"Or dying," Hugo piped in far too cheerily.

"Yes, or dying," Scorpius agreed with a small smile at the boy's nonchalance.

"You're barmy!" Ron cried, looking at Scorpius like he had grown another head.

"Wicked!" the twins chorused.

"Probably," Scorp replied to Ron with a pragmatic shrug, "but it was the most feasible plan we could come up with. In this year, though, we have no idea where to find Snake Face."

"Wait a minute!" Lily shouted with a classic 'eureaka!' look on her face. "It's Dad's fifth year!"

"Ye-es…" James confirmed with a raised brow.

"The Department of Mysteries happened in his fifth year!"

"You're right, Lil! Why didn't I think of that?"

"No!" Teddy bellowed, using his rarely-heard-amongst-the-family Auror voice. "No way! It's too dangerous. You kids aren't setting foot near that place!"

"What happens at the Department of Mysteries?" Ginny asked, not noticing that all of the Order members were eying each other meaningfully.

"Nothing good," Teddy growled in response, making Ginny pull back with a bit of fear. Harry instinctively put his arm around her to comfort her, much to the delight of Hermione, Molly, Bill, and Ginny herself.

"He doesn't…get _it_ , does he?" Arthur cryptically asked Teddy, assuming the boy from the future knew what was hidden in that very department that the Order was trying so desperately to protect.

"No, he doesn't. It gets smashed, but keeping it safe comes at a _very_ high cost," he warned somberly, doing everything in his power not to look towards Sirius.

"Teddy, I know it's dangerous, but Lil's right. It's the _only_ time that we know where Voldy's going to be in this year," Rose explained logically.

"I don't care! You could all die and I _refuse_ to have anyone else in my family die!" he shouted, distraught and losing his usual calm, collected control.

"But if we don't try it, James _will_ die," Hugo pointed out, stopping Teddy in his tracks cold.

"Fuck!" Teddy scowled as his hair turned bright red and he kicked over the recliner he had been sitting in a moment ago.

"Sweetheart, let's go outside for a little bit and talk about this, ok?" Victorie asked as she rubbed his arm soothingly.

Teddy nodded mutely, knowing that he had lost control and not liking it one bit. The pair walked slowly to the back door as the rest of the room's occupants watched warily. Once the door closed behind him, they let out a collective breath.

"Is he okay? Should we go check on him?" Tonks asked, gesturing between herself and Remus.

"He'll be alright; his temper just gets away from him every once in a while, especially when it comes to threats against his family," Lily explained with sadness in her eyes. "If you want to go out there, I'm sure he'd appreciate your support," she added with a subdued smile. She was positive Teddy would welcome some comforting from his parents, but it broke her heart to think this would be the first, and probably only time he would be able to have such comfort.

"Ok," Remus agreed resolutely. "I know what it's like trying to control a werewolf temper, after all," he added sardonically as he stood up and helped Tonks to her feet.

Once the pair had departed, Harry warily picked the conversation back up. "Why is he so set against you going to the Department of Mysteries? What happens there?" His green eyes were haunted and it was clear that, despite not being from the future and being pants at Divination, he suspected that the worst would occur there; that someone he loved would die.

"I'm sorry, Dad, we _really_ can't tell you that," James apologized, silently imploring his teenaged father not to press the issue.

"Why not? You've already told us a bunch of other stuff and we're going to be obliviated anyway," Ron blurted out, clearly unaware of the foreboding atmosphere that had settled upon the room.

"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore interceded before James could reply, "if our time-traveling friends are going to remain here in our present for a while, as it seems will be the case given the status of their time-travel device, it would be best for them not to reveal any information regarding our immediate future, such as whatever happens this year in the Department of Mysteries. Otherwise, we could inadvertently create a paradox that would send the entire space-time continuum into a tailspin and perhaps destroy the very fabric of our world's existence," he explained with an eerily cheerful smile at the end of the explanation.

"Oh," Ron simply replied, stunned at the response to his seemingly innocuous question.

"Yeah, uh, that's right," James agreed with false bravado, giving Dumbledore a discreetly grateful look.

"Well, in that case, we'd better change the subject to safer topics," Molly said brightly, clearly trying to dispel the awkward, serious feeling in the room.

"Like presents!" George and Fred shouted at the same time, their bright eyes eying the pile of brightly wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree that had specifically been set aside until Arthur returned from St. Mungos.

"Ah, yes! A lovely idea boys," she agreed readily, already shuffling the kids towards the tree. Seeing her future grandchildren separated from the others, though, a look of despondent worry came across her face. "Oh dear! We don't have anything for the grandkids, Arthur!" she fretted.

"That's okay, Grandmum," Hugo reassured her with a pat to her arm, "you didn't know we were coming so you certainly couldn't have been expected to produce presents for us. Besides, we already got our presents from you in the future."

"Oh!" she exclaimed with perplexed surprise. "Yes, I suppose I hadn't thought about that. Well, I hope that you all liked your gifts in the future." A chorus of affirmations met her question, which seemed to be a boon to her soul. "Wonderful. In that case, I suppose you lot can get started," she allowed, turning back to her children only to find that the twins had already begun ripping into their gifts. "Fred! George! You were supposed to wait for the rest of the family!" she screeched.

"Sorry, Mum," George replied diffidently.

"But you were taking sooo long!" Fred finished, earning himself a slap upside the head from his father.

"Respect your Mum, boys," Arthur said in rote.

Any response they may have had was drowned out by the sounds of tearing paper, and exclamations of joy and thanks. Rose took the opportunity of everyone being distracted to wave the rest of the time travelers over to her.

"Despite Teddy's meltdown, which is rather valid, I still think the DOM is the only chance we'll have to execute the plan. The only other option is to wait for Hugh to fix the TDD then try to jump to our originally planned time."

"Yeah, but now that Teddy and Torie know what we are up to there is no way they'll let us out of their sites to try to make another time jump," Lily pointed out.

"Right. You know they'll tell our parents and then they'll try to execute our plan, which is exactly what we were trying to avoid in the first place," James added.

"Ok, so a second jump isn't feasible. Does that mean we are all in agreement that we have to get to the Department of Mysteries the day the DA does?' Hugo asked.

"As much as I don't like the idea of being there on that day, I don't see any other options. Do you guys?" Rose asked hopefully.

"No," Scorpius vocalized as everyone else shook their heads. "My Father had no clue where Snake Face was that year-or this year-you know what I mean! Anyway, the point is that the DOM really is our only option."

"Right, then we're agreed. We'll hang out here for the next few months, _try_ not to get into trouble, draw attention to ourselves, or reveal too much, and we'll find some way to ditch Teddy and Torie the day of the attack," Rose laid out.

She was met with a chorus of agreement and the group broke up just in time for Teddy, his parents, and Torie to come back in. They all joined the fray of gift opening, checking out what their parents had received. A few minutes later, they were interrupted by the banging of the basement door after being flung open and a jubilant blur of black hair running into the room.

"I did it!" Al cried triumphantly. "I brewed the potion correctly!"

"I knew you would," Scorpius replied with pride and love effusing his voice.

Severus followed the boy in at a far more sedate pace, looking as if he wanted to strangle the youth and his own mentor, who was beaming at him from a seat next to the Christmas tree.

"Well done, my boy," Dumbledore congratulated knowingly, giving Severus a serene smile that only served to further annoy the dour man. "Severus, I trust you will help young Mr. Potter and Mrs. Lupin to brew the necessary potions now that he has demonstrated his competence in the subject?" he asked, though everyone knew it wasn't really a question.

Severus simply curled his lip in a sneer as a response. "Tomorrow, 8 am sharp, we will meet here to go over the ingredients you need. Do not be late," he snapped at Al and Torie before turning on his heel and stalking out of the house, slamming the door pointedly as he left.

"Well, at least that's settled," Torie breathed in relief.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Before the night was through the group was able to settle a few more things. With Dumbledore at the helm, the group established that they would stay at Grimmauld until Hugo could complete the repairs on the TDD, with Sirius and Remus staying in residence to keep an eye on them. There was a debate on whether or not to cast glamours on the time travelers and send them to Hogwarts to keep them occupied, but in the end they determined that the appearance of six new students would be too conspicuous, even if they claimed to all be from the same family. Rose was the only one who was disappointed that she didn't have the opportunity to take part in the classes and get ahead for their eventual return to their own time.

While staying at the headquarters, the youths were given a list of daily chores and instructed to focus on repairing their time travel device and brewing James' potions. Rose and James volunteered to be in charge of the cooking since Lily had inherited Ginny's lamentable cooking skills and Hugo's natural curiosity always got the best of him when faced with a recipe, resulting in an 'experimental,' and often revolting, version of the entree in question. Al was quite a good chef, having learned from Harry, as James had, but seeing as he was responsible for brewing James' potions with Torie, the group figured he had enough to do without worrying about getting dinner on the table on time. Scorpius, having grown up with a veritable army of house elves, didn't know a whisk from a wrackspurt.

Thankfully, Torie and Al, with significant, albeit reluctant, help from Snape, were able to successfully brew all of James' potions in three days. By this time, the elder Potter boy was already too weak to do much more than shuffle around Grimmauld, and even that was problematic when he had to climb the steep old staircases. He was a day away from strict bedrest when the potions were administered, bringing him back from the brink.

By the next week, Al had devised a list of possible improvements for a few of the formulas, and the Potions Master had begrudgingly admitted that the theories were sound. The trio brewed the standard potions, just in case, as well as Al's improved versions, and let James choose which batch he wanted. Being the consummate Gryffindor, and having faith in his weird genius little brother, James jumped on the 'improved' batch without hesitation.

To Al's delight, James reported feeling better than he had in weeks on Al's versions of the potions. After that, Al managed to worm his way into getting more lab time with Professor Snape. The Head of Slytherin House still berated and ridiculed the boy, but as the weeks progressed the heat faded from the words and the pair seemed to develop a dysfunctionally amiable repoire, each poking at one another without any true offense behind the taunts.

Harry and Ron were dumbfounded at the development, but even being almost friends with Snape wasn't enough to dampen the pride that Harry had in his son. He figured the boy got his intelligence from Ginny, as it sure hadn't come from him, and Remus had shared that Lily had been brilliant at Potions in addition to Charms, so perhaps that was where Al got his knack for it from. Whatever it was, it was bloody impressive, and Harry could feel himself growing to care for the boy, and his other two children, more and more each day. James was, strangely enough, just like the big brother Harry had always dreamed of having, and the pair had a blast sneaking around, causing mischief, and discussing Quidditch. Lily, on the other hand, felt almost like a baby sister. He was instinctively protective of his only daughter, despite the fact that she had Ginny's fiery spirit and could unquestionably hold her own, and no matter what was bothering Harry (which was quite a lot these days), she never failed to cheer him up with a joke, a smile, or a silly story.

The only thing that still bothered Harry about his future children was what Scorpius had told him about Al just after James had inadvertently outed him. He didn't care that his future son was gay, regardless of what the Dursleys always said about 'those kind of people,' but the fact that his son was scared to tell him the truth about his sexuality, and that he felt like an outsider, disturbed him greatly. He knew all too well how it felt to feel like you didn't belong, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone, let alone his own child. The thought of Al feeling as lonely and ostracized as he did made his heart break and he vowed to do something about it, no matter how awkward the conversation might be for the both of them. Thus, just before the end of the break, Harry asked to speak with Al alone after dinner.

The youngest Potter boy hesitantly stepped into his father's room and softly closed the door behind him. "You wanted to talk to me, Dad?" he asked somewhat warily.

"Yes. Have a seat, Al," he instructed, trying his best to sound calm and rationale, despite the butterflies in his stomach. For the hundredth time, he wondered what in the world he was doing. _'I don't have any experience with Father-Son heart-to-hearts! Hell, I don't even have any experience with heart-to-hearts at all! My friends are constantly yelling at me for keeping everything inside and not confiding in them, and now I am going to try to force Al to open up to me? Maybe I should just let him be. After all, if he had wanted to talk about this, he would have.'_ For a moment, Harry almost gave into his fear and reservations, but the lost look on his future son's face abruptly strengthened his resolve. It would be uncomfortable, he was sure, but in the long run it would help Al not to feel so alone. At least, he hoped.

"I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about…something," he stuttered, running his hands nervously through his hair.

"Ok," Al answered as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" Harry cried out too hastily. "No," he repeated more softly. "You didn't do anything wrong at all. It's just that, Scorpius mentioned something a while ago that worried me."

Al tried to swallow the giant lump that formed in his throat at those words, but his mouth was as dry as the Sahara. _'Oh Merlin! Scorp told him about us! How could he? Dad's got to be so disappointed…or maybe he's mad. But he said I didn't do anything wrong…oh, shite! Maybe he thinks Scorp tricked me into it, or forced me! Shite! I have to tell him the truth.'_ "Dad, it's not what you think," he tried to explain.

"You don't have to lie to me, Al. I don't care that you're gay," Harry insisted before the teen could continue whatever explanation he was about to unleash. "And…it doesn't make you any different from any of the rest of us, not in any way that really matters."

"What?" Al asked, green eyes wide in confusion.

"Scorpius told me that you felt like an outcast in our family. Is that true?" he implored.

Al could tell from the heartbroken and guilt–ridden look on his Dad's face that the Boy-Who-Lived was blaming himself for Al's feelings of estrangement. After all, his Dad was famous for taking on heaps of unwarranted guilt.

"It's not as bad as Scorp probably made it sound," he said with a small conciliatory shrug. "You know Malfoy's, always so dramatic."

Harry smirked at the true statement, but knew that his son was trying to deflect the discussion through humor. ' _He must have gotten that trait from me,'_ he thought. "True, but regardless, I want to talk to you about it. Al, I've spent my whole life feeling like an outsider and it kills me to think that you feel like that too. I don't care that you don't like Quidditch, or that you're a Slytherin, or that you're gay and in love with a Malfoy, and I can't imagine my older self would mind either. All of those things just make you who you are, and who you are is, from what I've seen so far, bloody brilliant. Being different isn't bad. Just look at Ron, Hermione, and me. We are about as different as three people can be; yet we're best friends. I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world, and I wouldn't want to change them either. Besides, I can already tell that deep down you are far more like me than James or Lily is. That's probably why you're worrying about this so much. I'm a worrier too," he said with a self-depreciating smile. "But I don't want you to _ever, ever_ doubt that you are a key part of the family. I've always wanted to have a family, and I just know that the older me must love you to pieces, because as weird as this whole situation is, I already care about you so much more than I could have ever thought possible, and I'm so proud of you for having the strength to be who you are."

"Thanks Dad," Al whispered through his sniffles as tears shined in his eyes. A moment later he threw himself forward and enveloped his young father in a crushing hug, allowing his relief to suffuse through his body. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he vowed to talk to his adult Dad as soon as they got back home.

Teddy, in the meantime, was relishing the chance to spend so much time with his parents, though it was bittersweet. With every new memory made, and every tidbit of information learned, Teddy was reminded of all the things he'd never get to do with them and everything he'd never know. He had thought losing his parents had been difficult before, but before this little trip through time he hadn't really known what he had lost, except in the abstract. Now he knew the smell of the perfume his mother favored, and he knew that his father had three distinct smiles; a sly one that he used when his inner Marauder was stirring, a wide one when he was amused at someone's antics or found a situation funny, and a soft, sincere one for when he was feeling deep devotion. He knew what his mother's various hair colors said about her mood, and he could recognize his father's laugh in a crowd. He also knew that he'd never experience any of these things again after they returned to their own time, and he could feel his heart breaking at the very thought of it.

Sensing his dilemma, Victorie convinced Professor Dumbledore to give Teddy something to take his mind off of everything he had lost, and would lose again. The part-Veela didn't tell the Headmaster that Remus and Tonks would die and Teddy would never know them, making this entire experience particularly hard for him, but she got the distinct impression that Dumbledore suspected it anyway. He had capitulated to her request to 'keep Teddy occupied because he was growing restless' far too readily to have accepted her rationale at face value. Regardless of the motive, though, capitulate he had and three weeks into their vacation to the past Teddy found himself as a guest lecturer at Hogwarts. He was brought in under the guise of lecturing for Transfiguration, but in reality he was helping the DA with their lessons. At first the students had been wary of the older newcomer, a trait Teddy himself commended them on, but Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all vouched for him, claiming he was a Weasley cousin by marriage. ' _Smart_ ,' Teddy had thought. _'It's technically the truth so if any of them get subjected to Veritiserum they won't have to worry about lying.'_

Teddy enjoyed working with the DA, particularly since he had grown up hearing stories of it, and he found that seeing his young Godfather and friends in action was even more awe-inspiring than the stories had been. To think that these kids _'kids ten years younger than me for Merlin's sake!'_ had such knowledge and skill, and could inspire others so readily, all while dealing with daily threats, left him in awe. He got to meet the infamous Cho Chang, who Ginny had told him (would tell him?) was Harry's first love, but Teddy wasn't all that impressed.

Personally, he believed his Aunt Ginny was far prettier, and certainly less moony. Strangely, though, Harry himself seemed to have little interest in the girl. He instructed her the same as everyone else in the class, and barely looked her way unless she needed help with something, which seemed to be a far cry from the stories of him fawning all over her that Ginny had told him. Come to think of it, the only time Harry's eyes lit up was when he was looking at his future wife _. 'Had it always been like that and Ginny just hadn't noticed? Or had the knowledge the time travelers imparted regarding Harry and Ginny's future together changed the way Harry felt about Ginny now? Were they already changing things? If so, how would that affect the future? Would the Obliviation that was to be administered before they left return things to normal, or would it be too late to go back?'_

While Teddy was worrying about their impact on the past, the rest of the group was worrying about how to get Voldemort's blood. They knew they would have a warning about when the DOM event was going to occur, as they knew Sirius would have to be contacted and Grimmauld was the only place the man could possibly be at the time. Thinking about the entire scenario made them sick, particularly James, who was growing ever closer to his namesake through shared pranks and debates over which birds were the cutest. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done, though. They all knew that they couldn't warn Sirius of his impending death since they had no idea what such a dramatic change would do to the future. Still, they all felt like accomplices to murder and, as May drew ever nearer, the group became more despondent and anxious.

In the months they had been in the past, the group of time travelers found themselves growing quite attached to the members of the Order, surprisingly as friends, rather than just as parental figures. Torie and Tonks were rarely apart, except when Torie was working in Severus's lab, which Tonks was summarily banned from, and the two girls acted more like best friends than mother and daughter in law. Al still assisted Severus whenever the dour man returned to the Order headquarters to brew specialized potions, and Hugo had struck up an odd friendship with Mad Eye Moody. The young boy even drawn up blueprints for an improved prosthetic leg for the grizzly Auror.

Perhaps the oddest pair, though, was Scorpius and Remus. Despite the assurances of all the time travelers that the young Malfoy was nothing like his grandfather or father (at least how he was known as a spoiled teenager) most of the members of the Order were still wary of the boy and kept a bit of distance from him. Remus was the noted exception. Knowing how it felt to be judged on something you can't control, Remus reached out to the young man one evening when he found him reading alone in the expansive Black library. The thing that had caught his eye was that Scorpius was reading one of Remus's favorite plays, _Faust_. They got to talking about Muggle literature, themes of morality, free will, and greed, and it was the start of a beautiful friendship. Remus had few people he could discuss classic Muggle literature with, being that most of those in the Order were either Purebloods, or not interested in literary discussion, or both.

From there, the acquaintance grew to also encompass everything from human (and werewolf) rights and medical treatments for lycanthropy (an area Scorpius was highly interested in for future study), to the most delicious creation in all the world-dark chocolate. Rose frequently joined the discussions and the group was affectionately dubbed the "Nerd Herd" by Sirius and James.

They had all settled into a relatively pleasant routine when that fateful day arrived.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N:_

 _Hi Everyone,_

 _Happy New Years! I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has read, favorited, and, most importantly, reviewed this story! This is my first time posting anything I have written and I am so glad that people are enjoying it. Seeing people add it to their favorites and reading the wonderful reviews is wonderful motivation for me to keep this story going and to upload a few others that I have been working on._

 _That said, I do have to warn everyone that January and February are the busiest times at my job, so the forthcoming updates may take longer than usual, but I promise there will still be updates!_

 _Thanks again and have a very happy New Year!_

 **Chapter 20**

The evening of June 17th found all of the time travelers desperately trying to avoid their minders at Grimmauld Place. They were all well aware that the next day was the one that would seal Sirius's fate, and none of them could stand the guilt that came with keeping silent about it. Everytime they looked at the man in question, tears threatened to fall, and they had to clamp their mouths shut to stop from crying out a warning to him.

Therefore, they figured the safest course of action was to feign illness and stay in their rooms all day. With the help of an owled skiving snackbox from the twins, each time traveler developed a fever and Al, Lily, and Hugo even began puking courtesy of the box's pastilies. Remus devoutly brought them all cool compresses and ginger tea at suppertime before regretfully announcing that he had to depart early in the morning to complete a task for Dumbledore. He assured the kids that Sirius would be on hand to care for them, not knowing that he was only making them feel worse with that assurance.

Sure enough, in the morning Sirius came up, all smiles, with a refill of ginger tea and some bland digestives. He doled out the treatments and tried to joke around with the kids, but found they were sullen and unresponsive. He could have sworn he saw abject depression and something resembling guilt reflecting in many of their eyes, but when he tried to inquire about it, Al suffered a bout of nausea and nearly projectile vomited right onto him. After that he kept his distance and gave the kids some time to rest and recover.

Al breathed a sigh of relief and took the antidote immediately. Scorpius dutifully handed him a strong mint and cast a breath freshening charm on him.

"Ta!" the messy haired boy said with a sad smile.

"No problem. I'd hate for you to have vomit breath when I kiss you," he replied with a disgusted grimace.

Al rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's squimishness when it came to puke. "You do know that, as a Healer, you will need to get over this fear of vomit."

"I don't have a _fear_ of it, I just find it to be…uncouth," he clarified haughtily.

"Uncouth," James mumbled with exasperation. "Remind me to slip you a puking pastille when we get back to our time. You can use a little uncouthness yourself," he gently mocked the aristocrat.

"Uncouthness is not a word, James," he retorted with an amused raise to his brow,

"Well, uncouth or not, it did the trick," Rose weighed in, always focused on the practical. "Now we just have to manage to avoid him until this afternoon when…" she trailed off sadly.

"Isn't there _anything_ we can do? It feels…wrong…to not warn him," Hugo asked quietly.

"We've been through this, Hugh," Scorpius patiently explained, putting a comforting hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "The repercussions to the future could be awful if we do anything differently."

"I know, but they could be wonderful too!" the boy insisted, his chestnut eyes lighting up with hope.

"They could," Lily agreed with a wisdom beyond her years, "but we just can't take that chance. What if it does make the world better, but it results in someone else dying instead? Some Muggles believe there is a cosmic balance and if Death is deprived of a soul, it will take another as a replacement. What if that is true and us saving Sirius condems someone else to death? I couldn't live with that. Could you?"

"No, I guess not," the boy sighed as tears began to roll down his cheeks. Lily and Rose immediately enveloped him in a hug, which Al, James, and Scorpius all soon joined. The kids grasped tightly to one another offering what little comfort and support that they could to each other.

After some time, they agreed to go over their plan again to make sure everyone knew their roles by heart, and to ensure none of them were near the floo when Harry would reach out and get Kreacher, thereby getting the misleading information that would drive him to the Department of Mysteries.

A few hours later Scorpius called Kreacher and demanded that he tell them as sson as he spoke with Harry through the floo. The house elf seemed perplexed, but given that Scorpius was a Black by blood, he had no choice but to obey.

When he returned to the blonde's room a few hours later, he could barely contain his glee as he reported that the useless blood traitor Harry Potter had called and Kreacher had replied.

Scorpius, who was known for treating house elves as friends instead of servents, had never wanted to strangle a creature as much as he did at that moment. Al restrained him, though, and reminded him with a rather pointed look, that the house elf had been brainwashed by the Black's and didn't know any better. Scorpius knew his boyfriend was alluding to his own father and the circumstances that would lead him to join the Death Eaters, so with a grumble he dismissed the elf and collapsed into Al's arms with a grateful hug.

"Well, I guess that means we should come out of hiding," James reluctantly announced. One of us will need to intercept the message from Snape so we know when to go to the Department of Mysteries."

"Right," Lily agreed, though no one moved. After a few moments, the red head took matters into her own hands and stood up, a resolute determiniation on her young face. Withouth preamble she opened the door and headed to the stairs. The rest of the group followed her and dispursed to various locations downstairs, all within hearing distance of the floo.

It turns out that it was Lily who received the life-changing message. She was lying on the floor of the living room in Grimmauld Place, attempting to build a house out of exploding snap cards, when Snape's head appeared in the fireplace, bellowing for anyone who was in residence. The redhead immediately knew what was going on and her heart beat wildly in her chest with dread.

"Where's Black?" Snape snapped at the redhead.

"In the kitchen," Lily managed to reply, though it was with an unmistakably heartbroken air. "My Dad…he's gone to the Department of Mysteries, hasn't he?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes," Snape seethed, "the impetuous, short-sighted brat jumped directly into the fire, as he always does, and now _I_ am forced to save him, as usual."

Lily nodded, not willing to argue with the Potions Master about his insults against her father, not at a time like this. "I'll get Uncle Sirius" she said instead, hurrying out of the room.

She wrung her hands, knowing that she was effectively delivering the man's death by relaying the message. They had all become quite close with the Marauder, whom insisted they all call him 'Uncle Sirius' and she dreaded losing him. She couldn't even imagine how hard her father was going to take it. Seeing his eyes well up with tears each time the man was mentioned in the future was hard enough. Still, she knew she had to do this if she was to have any chance to save her brother, so she steeled her resolve and walked into the kitchen.

As expected, both men flew into the living room, demanding Severus to explain fully what was going on. Remus tried to convince Sirius to stay in the house with the kids, but when the man displayed the famous Black tempur and bellowed that he would not sit around drinking tea while his Godson was viciously murdered, the werewolf knew there would be no reasoning with him.

They shouted to Lily to make sure everyone stayed put, then dashed into the Floo. Lily had nodded at the instructions, but the moment they had left, she raced up the stairs, calling for her siblings and cousins. A grave "it's time" was all that she needed to say for them to spring into action. The group had been preparing for this for weeks, and the timing had worked out surprisingly well. Teddy was at the school assistant teaching with one of the NEWT Transfigurations classes and Victorie had gone out to the apothocarey to get some anti-naseau potions. Knowing she could return at any moment, the clan of kids hurried to the secret floor compartment where they had hidden their supplies and then gathered in the living room.

"Everyone ready?" Al asked, looking around anxiously at the faces of his family members and his boyfriend. Each face was streaked with fear, but their eyes all blazed with determination fierce enough to conquer that fear.

"Ready," Scorpius affirmed stalwartly, taking a step closer to the Floo.

"Let's do this," Rose concored with a sharp nod of her head, causing the wall of crimson curls to bounce around her shoulders.

"That bastard is going down!" Lily vowed with a scowl, causing her brothers and cousins to gape at her.

James laughed heartily at his baby sister's foul mouth, then grabbed her in a headlock and gave her a nougie, followed by a kiss to the top of the head.

"You heard her; let's go kick snake-face's arse!" he chortled with a grin.

"To the Department of Mysteries!" Hugo exclaimed, grabbing the Floo powder and tossing it into the fire, leading the charge. One by one they proceeded through the Floo, taking advantage of the Death Eaters having broken through the wards.

James was the last to go through, and just as he was raising his fist to toss the powder, Victorie slammed through the front door, looking panicked.

"James! No!" she shouted, dropping her bag and running towards the Floo, obviously knowing what her cousin was up to.

"Sorry, Torie, but it's the only way to save Al and Lily," he said sadly as he tossed the Floo powder and clearly spoke "Ministry of Magic, Department of Mysteries."

"Oh Merlin!" Victorie cried as she snag to her knees. "Albus? Lily? Rose? ANYONE?" she shouted out, hoping against futile hope that all of her cousins hadn't just put themselves in the line of fire. Silence met her cries, much as she had feared, yet expected. "URGH! These bloody kids are going to drive me fucking barmy!" she scowled. "If you ever pull something as idiotic as this, I swear I'll give you up for adoption!" she threatened in the direction of her swollen belly.

With that, she stormed to the Floo, grabbed a fistful of powder and threw it down violently, gritting her teeth as she announced her destination as the Department of Mysteries. She emerged in a dark, marble foyer, immediately falling to her knees and retching. Pregnancy and Floo travel did not mix, apparently. Still, she pulled herself together and hefted herself to her feet. She was alone in the large room, but she could hear footsteps echoing down one of the halls along with a cacaphony of broken glass.

She cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and began running towards the sounds. She reached the end of the dark corridor and turned the corner just in time to see a wall of crystal phials at least four stories high, rattle and shake. They began to shatter and she could make out a light blond head of hair streaking towards her. For a moment she thought it was Scorpius, but then she realized the Slytherin wouldn't be caught dead in a lavender jumper. As the blonde got closer, she realized it was a young girl streaking towards her.

"Look out!" the girl shouted with an oddly dreamy tone to her voice, just before she launched herself at Victorie, shoving her to the ground. The Healer was about to chastise the girl for pushing a pregnant person when a shelf crashed to the ground, just where Victorie had been standing.

Torie gaped at the girl in disbelief. "How-how did you know I was here?" she asked in amazement. "I Disillusioned myself."

"The rumskeins gave you away. They always congrigate around the stomachs of pregnant people," she explained easily.

"Wha? Huh?" she stuttered.

"You really shouldn't be here," the girl continued, ignoring her confusion. It isn't safe for the baby. Death Eaters are here you know."

"I-I know," Victorie replied, finally gathering her wits about her. "That's why I'm here. My pillock cousins rushed over to here to fight and I have to stop them before they get killed."

"Oh, in that case, come with me," she said, leading her by the hand to the other side of the hallway. They found Ron and Ginny along the way, but Harry, Hermione, Neville, and all of the time travelers were still missing. "Where are…my cousins?" Victorie frantically asked Ron.

"Huh? Why would your cousins be here?" he asked in confusion, never pausing as he rant and searched for his best friends.

"Because they're idiots and apparently all take after Harry!" she growled angrily as she ran.

The group opened a few doors until they came to the cavernous anteroom and found the missing group members. Unfortunately the group of Death Eaters also found them and they began attacking the kids.

Victorie immediately recognized Harry, and Hermione, who was disconcertingly lying on the ground not moving, but there was a tall chubby boy with blood pouring out of his nose who looked vaguely familiar, as well as the still unnamed blonde next to her. Then, to her dismay, she saw another flash of red hair and realized Rose was to the far right squaring off against a tall, thin, masked figure. He was tossing Cruciatus curses at her like they were going out of style, but the bright girl had learned nearly every deflection spell ever created, and she was able to cast a good number of them wandlessly thanks to her parents insisting on given her extensive defense training while growing up.

A bolt of purple light burst forth behind the masked figure, catching him in the back and causing him to crumple to the ground in obvious pain. He writhed on the floor before falling unconscious.

"Thanks, Hugh!" Rose shouted to the diminutive brunette standing behind the fallen Death Eater, his wand still held aloft.

"Anytime, Sis!" he smiled, then wasted no time in whipping around to take on another target.

The group was doing surprisingly well against the more experienced, more vicious Death Eaters, but they were slowly losing ground. Harry gestured for his friends and family to fall back and the group retreated through another door.

Victorie looked around and took a mental roll call, making sure noe of her family had been left behind. Much to her relief, everyone was accounted for, including Hermione, who Ron and the chubby boy had dragged with them. The bushy haired girl was regaining conciousness, but she was still very discombobulated.

Unfortunately Ron had been hit in the back with a curse as he had bent over to grab his future wife's arms, and he was now wobbling on his feet and slurring his words. The glassy look in his eyes reminded Victorie of Teddy on his 17th birthday and she realized with a start that he seemed to be drunk. It was a surprising spell for a Death Eater to cast, but she was just glad it wasn't something more serious. Her relief was sort-lived, though, as she heard Hugo take in a gasping breath.

"Oh no," he moaned. "The brains!"

"What?" Lily asked in confusion. Her deep brown eyes followed his horrified gaze and she saw the tanks filled with floating brains. Immediately she knew what was about to happen and joined her cousin in dismay.

Sure enough, at that moment Ron noticed the tanks as well and, in his compromised state, he decided he wanted to get a closer look at the thing floating in the water. The Accio was out of his lips before anyone could stop him, despite Hugo's desperate scream of "Dad, no!"

The brain flew through the air and unrelentingly attached his tentacles to the redhead's arms, evoking a scream of pain. Ron dropped to the ground, rolling around to try to dislodge the stinging ciece of anatomy.

Rose rushed to her father and tried to dislodge the brain with a spell, but he was moving around too much for her to get a clear shot. "Hugh, _Stupify_ him!" she ordered. Her brother looked at her questioningly, but seeing her level headed determination he did as she asked. Once he was immobilized she used a small _Reducto,_ expertly aimed, to blow the brain apart. The tentacles still writhed for a moment but Hugo moved in and tore them off his father's arms, tossing them away from the group. They continued to writh for a few moments before going still.

"Shite, is he ok?" Harry asked worriedly as he got down on his knees to check on his best friend. Hugo ended the _Stupify_ and Ron rolled slowly to his back, wincing in pain with each slight movement.

"He'll be alright," Al assured his dad. "He'll have some scars, and some really strange flashes of other people's memories for a while, but nothing life threatening."

"Good," Harry nodded in a bit of a stupor as he stared at the red, angry welts on his friend's arms. "Wait a minute!" he exclaimed as his mind cleared from the horrible thoughts of Ron being permanently injured. "You knew this was going to happen!" he shouted at his youngest son, Rose, and Hugo. The three kids' only reply was downcast eyes, which Harry took as an affirmation. "You knew and yet you didn't stop it! You didn't even warn us!" he growled angrily, his green eyes blazing.

"Dad, we couldn't!" James insisted, inserting himself between his irate young father and the other time travelers. "You know the consequences of messing with time!"

"Yeah, but-"

Harry's argument never had the chance to become known as the Death Eaters managed to break through the seal on the door to the room with the brains and came pouring in, already on the attack. Seeing that Ron was still barely able to move, Hermione was just this side of conscious, Neville was still bleeding and didn't have a wand, and Victorie was pregnant, the groupd silently decided to retreat rather than launch a counter attack. Thus, they moved determinedly towards the door at the other end of the room and emerged into some type of study.

They shoved the door closed and started to ward it, but the Death Eaters were hot on their heels and busted through before they could finish. Harry looked desperately at all of his friends and future family and knew what he had to do. _The Death Eaters aren't after them,_ he thought, _they are after me. I can't let anyone else get hurt for me; I have to draw them away!_

Without a second's hesitation, Harry took off like a shot, holding the phial that seemed to be so important to the Death Eaters, over his head. The plan worked, and the masked maniacs followed him immediately. Unfortunately, in his desire to make sure they were following, Harry failed to watch where he was going as he crashed through another door and he immediately tumbled down a steep set of stone steps. The Death Eaters surrounded him, but none of them fired a curse.

Moments later, the door slammed open again and Neville came storming in raising Hermione's wand is his hand, trying to _Stupify_ the Death Eaters nearest to him. Unfortunately the spell fails and Bellatrix swoops in with an evil grin, casting _Cruciatus_ on the boy and laughing in delight as he drops to the ground and writhes in pain.

"This brings back such lovely memories," Bellatrix cooed in her babyish voice, delight shining in her crazed eyes.

"NO! Stop it!" Harry screamed, agony clear in every syllable.

"Certainly, Mr. Potter," Lucius Malfoy answered smoothly, holding up his hand to halt Bellatrix's cursing. She pouted at him and gave her wand one last twitch, causing Neville to spasm, but then ceased her curses. "All you have to do is give us that prophecy, and we will let you and your friends leave without any further harm."

"Why should I trust you?" Harry asked warily.

With a sly, knowing smile, Lucius answered. "It isn't really about trust, it's about necessity. The way I see it, you really have no choice. Not unless you want to watch Longbottom die."

"Don't give it to them, Harry!" Neville shouted, despite the small tremors wracking his body.

"Stay out of this," Bellatrix chastised, sending another short _Cruciatus_ his way.

"Well Mr. Potter, what will it be?" Malfoy inquired with his aristocratic drawl. "Are you going to hand over the phial, or let your friend die?"

"How about door number 3?" Albus shouted as he burst through the door with his wand raised. Immediately he began firing _Stupify_ 's and _Reducto's_ at anyone wearing black.

"There's two of them?!" Malfoy mumbled in confusion as he dodged the flying spells. "That's impossible!" he growled as he went on the offensive.

To his chagrin, though, the second Harry Potter had brought reinforcements. From the looks of it, he had brought a pack of Weasley's. He recognized Arthur's youngest brat, but who were the other redheads? _How many of them are there?! They are worse than rabbits!_

The kids took advantage of the Death Eaters' confusion and moved into the fray, wands blazing.

Victorie was the last one through the door, having been ordered to stay out of harm's way by James. Of course she argued, but when he asked her how she thought Teddy would feel if he lost her or the baby, she realized he was right. It felt cowardly, but she had to protect her unborn child. Still, that didn't mean she was going to cower in hiding in the other room, it just meant she would not engage in a fight unless she had to. She would watch out for all of her cousins and have their backs from her _Disillusioned_ position.

Torie scanned the room and saw Lily and Albus in the thick of the fight. They stood back to back, casting curses in a circular pattern that created a form of shield from their attackers. They seemed to be holding their own, much to her relief. Rosie and Hugo were off to the side using a rotating style of attack to provide cover for each other. Seeing her kids in the middle of a battle with Death Eaters seemed to catalyse Hermione to shake off the last of her concussion and she pushed herself off of the wall behind Torie and began firing spells at the remaining Death Eaters.

She looked into the crowd and searched for James and Scorpius, but she couldn't see hide nor hair of them. _Oh Merlin, no. Please don't let them have been hit!_ Just as she was about to leap into the fray to search them out, a bright bolt of yellow light shot past her head and the blonde girl next to her let out a cry. She fell to the ground, clutching her right arm, only to be dragged back up by a Death Eater, who held the girl at wandpoint.

"Luna!" the chubby boy cried out, momentarily dropping his guard and giving a Death Eater behind him the chance to grab him as well. Voldemort's followers took advantage of the spectacle and grabbed Hermione and Ginny, holding their wands to their necks and pulling their hair back painfully. Rose managed to get a curse off that struck down the Death Eater holding Hermione, but she was then quickly ambushed by three others. Lily, Hugo, and Al were all captured in the mean time.

"No!" Hermione cried out, seeing her future dauhter about to be slaughtered.

"Say goodbye, bitch," a deep voiced masked man growled as he raised his wand, but his action was halted by an authorotative voice.

"Stop," it commanded. "We aren't here to kill these mudbloods and blood traitors! We are here, because Mr. Potter has something the Dark Lord seeks. Hand over the prophecy, boy, and we'll let your friends go. They won't come to any harm, I swear," the tall blond said with an oily smile. "If you don't hand it over, though, I will tear them limb from limb."

"Don't do it, Harry!" the chubby boy shouted again, earning himself a jab in the neck from the wand pressed against his throat. Victorie looked on in indecision; she was still disillusioned so none of the Death Eaters had taken note of her, but if she fired off any spells to take down those holding her family hostage then her position would be revealed and, even worse, the hostages might be injured. She thought back to the tales her uncles told her of this day and recalled that the Order of the Phoenix would be arriving soon. Knowing that, she decided to wait until they showed to launch her attack. That settled, her thoughts went back to James and Scopius, who she still hadn't seen. Praying that they were lying low rather than injured - _or dead_ \- she was startled by the echoing of multiple apparition pops in the cavernous hall.

The order of the Phoenix had arrived. She let out the breath she was holding and began firing spells off fast and furious as the Death Eaters abandoned their captives to combat the Order. It was complete chaos as the battle raged but Victorie did her best to shield her family and take down as many Death Eaters as possible. While taking down a shorter Death Eater, she noticed a flash of bright blue hair. Relief and worry coursed through her simultaneously. Teddy was a highly trained Auror who would help them win this fight, but he was also the love of her life. She had no idea how she would go on if something happened to him.

A crash caught everyone's attention and she looked over just in time to see Lucius Malfoy miss catching the prophecy he had been charged with attaining. At that point, all hell broke loose. The Death Eaters were fighting to kill now that their prize had been lost. Sirius ran to Harry to help him fight and the two worked as a tag team against the army of black-clad bastards.

"Good one, James!" Sirius called triumphantly as Harry cursed and incapacitated one of the attacking Death Eaters. His triumph was short lived, though, as Bellatrix concentrated her full attack on her estranged cousin. At first Sirius just mocked the crazy woman, dodging her spells, but then one red blast flew straight towards him and it was clear he wouldn't be able to dodge in time.

"No!" was shouted from seemingly thin air as a hand and a wand suddenly appeared to the right of Sirius, shooting out a blasting curse. The blasting curse impacted just after Bellatrix's stunning spell, pushing the convict off to the left where he narrowly missed an erie looking Veil.

"James!" a voice cried in scolding disbelief. "You-you've changed everything now!" Rose cried out.

"I-I..." he stuttered, still hidden under the invisibility cloak. "I didn't mean to, but I...I just couldn't let him die!"

Rose's response was cut off by an angry scream from Harry, who saw Sirius lying, unmoving in a pool of blood on the floor.

"Aw, is poor wittle Sirius hurt?" Bellatrix simpered, followed by a high pitched screeching laugh.

Harry took off after her, wand raised, ready to do some damage as she raced from the hall into the main lobby of the department. James took the opportunity to disappear under the cloak again, following the two to the spot he knew Voldemort would appear.

Hugo, Lily, and Rose followed as they had all managed to escape the Death Eaters who had attacked them with only minor injuries. Al was still slinging curses at two black robed men squaring off with him and Teddy, and Victorie had raced to Sirius to see what she could do to help the injured man. There was still no sign of Scorpius.

In the main lobby, Voldemort appeared, just as the time travelers knew he would. Al and Teddy joined the group a few moments later. They stood by and watched with wrenched hearts as he possessed their father and uncle, trying to get him to abandon the Light. Once Harry broke free of his hold, they commenced the plan.

Rose, Hugo, Lily, and Al all cast the strongest _Stupefy_ they could at the soulless monster. Even with all four of them, it only held for a few seconds. Thankfully those precious seconds were enough for James to sneak up to him unseen under the cloak and cast a _Sectumsempra_. Voldemort hissed in pain and sent his own blasting curse at the children. Dumbledore cushioned their falls, though, with a _Cushioning Charm_ on the wall, so they all came out unscathed.

Then, a Death Eater with gray eyes shining through his mask approached the Dark Lord. "My Lord, do you need healing?" he asked obsequiously, laying his hand gently on the slash across his torso.

"How dare you touch me, Lucius! After your failure you're lucky I haven't killed you!" he hissed, flinging the blond man back with a wordless spell and casting a quick _Cruciatus_ before focusing again on his target. Al seethed with rage as he watched him writhe in pain on the ground and he lunged for the evil wizard. Dumbledore stepped in, then, casting a shield to prevent the young man from reaching his target, and took over the fight by facing Voldemort one-on-one. When the Minister and Aurors arrived, though, he and the Death Eaters who hadn't already been captured, fled, apparating out in the blink of an eye. All except one; the gray eyed man thought to be Lucius Malfoy.

Al ran up to the fallen Death Eater checking him for wounds. "Angel, are you ok?" he asked with heavy worry.

"Yeah, mon coeur, I'm fine. I was expecting worse, to be honest," he said bravely with a small shrug and a noticeable shake as he removed the white mask.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was hot on Al's heels, ready to pull the young boy away from the dangerous Death Eater and arrest the scum when he saw who was under the mask.

"Scorpius?!" Teddy shouted as the Death Eater's identity was revealed. "Are you okay? Where in Hades did you get Death Eater robes from? And why are you wearing them?"

"I'm ok. I copied them while we were at Grimmauld," Scorpius answered meaningfully while not naming any names. "And I am wearing them because we thought that was the easiest way to get close to Voldemort to get his blood without being killed out of hand."

"Do you realize how dangerous that was? Any one of the Order or the Aurors could have killed you!" the large man growled.

"But they didn't," the blonde boy pointed out matter-of-factly.

"But they could have! Any of you could have been killed!" he shouted as he took in the guilty, dirty, bruised faces of his family members. "I expressly forbid you to come here, knowing how dangerous it was, and yet you blatantly disobeyed me!"

"Teddy, we had to! Don't you see that? James is DEAD without Voldemort's blood! Yes, we could have been injued or killed, but if we didn't try this James would DEFINITELY die, and so would Lily and I!" Al interjected fiercely.

"I know that, Al," Teddy aquiesced dejectedly. "But there has to be a safer way then crashing a battle between the Order and Death Eaters."

"Actually," Scorpius interjected, "we don't have to worry about it anymore."

"What?" Teddy asked.

"You got it?" Al asked with poorly capped excitement.

In response, Scorpius raised his right hand, which was covered in a thick, red substance.

"Oh my God, Scorp, you are the best!" Al shouted as he launched himself at his boyfriend, careful not to wipe the blood from his hand.

"Hey, I couldn't have done it without James' spot on cutting spell, or you guys' stunner to hold him."

"Thanks, Blondie!" James smirked as he pulled a vial out of his pocket and Accioed the blood into it, hiding his shaking hands and unsteady gait before anyone could see the physical signs that his curse was getting to him again.

"Anytime," he smirked back before he was buried under a pile of grateful weepy Potters, Weasleys and Lupins.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

The grateful weepy pile was exchanged for an angry, scared mob once the time travelers returned to Grimmauld Place that evening and had been attended to by Madame Pomfrey.

"How could you even THINK about going there, knowing what would happen?" Hermione scolded with her hands flying around in an aggravated wave as she shifted her frightening gaze from one youth to the next.

"Hermione's right," Remus chimed in. His expression was calm but there was an undercurrent growl vibrating through his voice. Clearly it was taking all of his willpower to keep control of the wolf attempting to rise to the surface. The thought of his cubs, both biological and in spirit, being in such danger brought out the fierce protector in him. "You could have all been killed, or tortured!"

"But Mr. Lupin, we had to-" Rose began, only to be cut off by Ron.

"Oh no, I don't think so young lady!" Ron chastised, his ears as red as his hair. "I don't care what excuse you have. You threw yourself head first into danger without a thought about the consequences! Do you know how foolish that was? I thought you were supposed to be smart! You and Hugo are both grounded for a month!"

At that point, the twins couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Boys, this is _not_ funny!" Molly fumed, rounding on her sons with tears in her eyes.

"We know that Mum-," George admitted, sobering slightly.

"But you have to admit-," Fred continued.

"It's a bit ironic that Ronniekins is yelling at his daughter-" George added.

"Who is a year OLDER than him, by the way, for doing exactly the same thing he did!" Fred finished.

"Talk about the cauldron calling the kettle black!" they chorused together.

"They've got a point," Sirius admitted from the couch where he was recovering from his head wound and the skelegrow Madame Pomfrey had administered to repair his fractured skull.

"Oh Merlin, our kids grow up to be just like us!" Ginny cried with a smirk.

"We're rogered!" Ron added with a genuine look of fear on his face that broke the tension of the room. Arthur couldn't hold back a chuckle, which spread through the rest of the group. Molly didn't laugh, but she did crack a smile through her tears. Harry was still stoic, feeling the crushing guilt of having led not only his friends into grave danger, but also his future offspring.

"Dad?" Lily asked softly, noticing how pale and sad her father looked. "It isn't your fault."

Harry's eyes widened as the redhead spoke to him, her hazel eyes pleading to him to listen. He shook his head sadly, knowing that the girl was wrong, despite her good intentions. It _was_ his fault. If he had used his brain instead of just rushing in like an idiot then Ron wouldn't be burned and scarred all up his arms, his friends and family wouldn't be battered and bruised, and Sirius wouldn't have nearly died!

"It is my fault. If it wasn't for me you would all be safe! Voldemort doesn't want you all, he just wants me. It isn't fair of me to keep putting you all in the crossfire! Sirius, you almost died today! You've just become free from prison and tonight you almost lost everything because I had to play the hero again! I never use my brain and today it put all of you at risk! I can't allow that to happen again. I-I think it's better if I just go."

"Go where?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"I don't know, just...away. Somewhere that I won't put everyone I love in danger anymore!" he shouted angrily, pulling at his hair.

"You can't do that Uncle Harry," Hugo objected calmly. "If you do it will create a paradox and change the future."

"So?" Harry countered. "Maybe it will change it for the better."

"And maybe it will mean that we're never born," James stepped up, despite his aching muscles, and pointed out sharply. "I _just_ got my chance at life back, literally. I'll be damned if I am going to let your overblown guilt complex take it away from me!" James shouted, showing a glimpse of his famous Weasley temper. "You don't let me take the blame when we lose a match and I sure as hell am not going to let you blame yourself for today, or anyone else getting hurt. The only one to blame here is Voldemort. _He's_ the one trying to kill innocent people. _You_ are the one trying to stop him, Dad. And you _do_. I know you hate being called the Savior, but facts are facts, and the truth is that is what you are. You save the Wizarding World, Dad...but you only do it because of the help of your friends. You can't change that now. Without them, there is no way you'll beat him, and then _everyone here will die_."

"He's right, Harry," Ginny agreed softly as she laid a hand on his shoulder. Even if you disappear, none of us are going to stop fighting him. Do you really think if you leave he'll just leave us all alone? He wants to conquer everything, and _anyone_ in his way will be a target. We won't stop opposing him because he is wrong. We stand by you partly because we love you, but also because it is the right thing to do," she explained passionately, not realizing what four letter word she had just let slip out of her mouth. Her kids noticed, though, and they shared a secret smile at the budding feelings.

"She's right," Remus asserted with a soft smile.

"Of course she is; Mum's always right," Al added with a goofy smirk that finally got Harry to smile the slightest bit. "That must be where I get it from," he added with a wink, making Harry burst out into laughter. Scorpius gave his boyfriend a fond look while also rolling his eyes.

"Well, that settles it then," Teddy affirmed. "Harry's not going anywhere, except to bed, which is where you are all going.

"Hey! You can't tell us to go to bed! I'm your Godfather!" Harry protested.

"Yes, but right now you're also a decade younger than I am, so I say it's bedtime," Teddy retorted.

"Plus, he has us to support that command," Molly added, effectively squashing any further arguments. "Tomorrow you'll all go back to Hogwarts but for tonight you'll stay here to rest and recover."

Her order was met with a chorus of resigned "yes, mum's" as the teens all wearily trudged upstairs.

"Time travelers," Sirius called out, "not so fast. I think we need to have a little chat."

The group of kids all looked at each other warily, not looking forward to the conversation they suspected was coming. James, in particular, turned a sickly shade of green when Rose shot him an angry glare.

Reluctantly they all gathered in the living room, taking seats on the sofas and chairs surrounding the one that Sirius was lying upon. He wrenched himself up into a seated position once they were all accounted for, letting a grumbled curse escape his lips at the pain that shot up his neck and settled into a pounding rhythm in his head. A few minutes passed with them all just looking at one another, waiting for someone to take the first step.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a soft, sad, sigh. "I was meant to die tonight, wasn't I?" Sirius whispered reluctantly. He was looking at James when he asked the question, but all the boy did was fidget nervously in response. Sirius turned his attention to the bushy haired red head instead, knowing that her more pragmatic attitude would make her less likely to tell him platitudes.

"Yes," Rose reluctantly replied after a moment of silence during which she debated with herself how to respond.

"Rose!" Al chastised, seeing all of the, admittedly little, color drain away form Sirius' face.

"What? He already suspects it and that _is_ what was _supposed_ to happen!" she retorted hotly, shifting her attention from the younger Potter to the older one.

"How can you be so heartless?" James spat with disgust.

"I'm not being heartless!" she cried, her countenance warring between anger and hurt. "I didn't _want_ Sirius to die! I don't want anyone to die!"

"Hey, hey, that's enough!" Teddy interjected, seeing that the conversation was going downhill rapidly and Rose was on the verge of tears. "Rose, we all know you don't want anyone to die, and James, we all understand why you did what you did, but the truth is that in our timeline, yes Sirius, you did die tonight. Bellatrix's curse hit you and you fell through the Veil. You were lost."

Sirius nodded solemnly, having suspected as much. He had felt himself being pulled towards the mysterious object when he fell and was quite surprised when the second blast hit him. After all, why would a Death Eater waste their time on an enemy that was already going down? When he woke up and found out that James had sent the curse his way, he knew there had to be an explanation. James had become one of his best friends over the past few months; there was no way he would have sent a Blasting Curse his way without good reason. "Did Harry...I mean, was he..."

"It tore him apart," James answered the question the older man couldn't get out. "He blamed himself, of course, and to this day, every time someone says your name he gets this hurt, guilty look in his eyes. I couldn't let him feel that pain again, not if I could prevent it," he vowed stalwartly. "Besides," he added with a smirk, "you're way too cool to go out like that."

Sirius shot him his trademark rogish smiling, momentarily lightening the mood. "Thanks, kid, you're not so bad yourself."

"So what do we do now?" Lily interjected after a moment. "I mean, we did just create a paradox, right?"

"I don't think there is much we can do except hope that the change didn't alter the future too dramatically," Rose mused, trying to recall all of the theories she had read regarding time travel. She did actually have a backup plan to combat any paradoxes, consisting of traveling back to before the paradox occurred and stopping it from happening, but it was a worst-case scenario type of plan so she only wanted to reveal it if there was no other option.

"Well perhaps we can help that along," Hugo added thoughtfully. "After all, we still all remember how things originally went, so we can take measures to make sure that they stay that way despite this little, uh, ripple in the time stream."

The group all nodded their heads, except Teddy. Only Victorie noticed, though, and she decided to keep it to herself for now. She knew what her husband was thinking: if they kept things the same then his parents would die. He had seemed to make peace with that, well, as much as anyone can, when the rules about not changing the past were finite, but now that rule had been broken. Sirius had been saved and she was certain that he was thinking how unfair it was that he could be saved but his parents couldn't. Truth be told, Torie was thinking rather the same thing. She loved Teddy just the way he was and she knew he had a good childhood with Andromeda and Harry, but she also knew how much he regretted not having his true parents around. Having met them now it would only be harder for him to give them up. She hated seeing that lost and broken look on his face whenever his parents were mentioned and whenever he saw a family together. She wanted to save him that pain, consequences be damned!

Little did the Healer know that the rebellious animagus sitting across from her was thinking along the same lines. Now that he had a few minutes to assimilate the fact that A) he was meant to die today and B) his life had been saved, he realized that Teddy's capitulation regarding his vow a few months ago to save Moony's life had been so easy because the boy knew it was a moot point. He knew that Sirius himself would have died long before he could have done anything to prevent his friend's death. The thought caused anger to well up within him and he was in danger of lashing out at the boy, but he didn't want to reveal to his best friend and his cousin that they were fated to die in two years' time. Thus, he bit down on his anger and concentrated instead on fulfilling his original vow to prevent Moony and Tonks' deaths.

"Hey Hugh," Al called, breaking the tense silence. "How much longer do you think we'll be here for?"

The entire group turned to look at the boy, making him blush shyly. Despite the accolades his inventions had awarded him, Hugo was not comfortable being the center of attention. He wasn't anti-social, being so naturally likeable, but he preferred to direct the spotlight to the much louder members of his famous family. "Well, uh, I should have the TDD up and running in the next two weeks, if all goes well installing the temporal transduction capacitor."

"Ri-ight," Teddy commented with an exasperated smile.

"You're leaving so soon?" Molly simpered, wringing a tea towel in her hands as sadness clouded her eyes. Arthur came to stand beside her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Oh Grandmum, we'd love to stay, we _really_ would," Lily explained with sincerity, looking at Teddy's parents and Fred in particular, "but we have to get back to our present with the blood so that the Healers can create the cure for Jamie."

"Can't Victorie do that here?" Remus asked, wanting to spend more time with his future son now that he had come to grips with his existence and the fact that he hadn't ruined his and Dora's lives with his affliction.

"I wish I could Mr. Lup-Remus," Torie sighed. "Unfortunately this curse is so rare that only a handful of Healers in the world know the treatment. We brought in a specialist all the way from Macedonia just to get the diagnosis. Healer Volchenkov is the only one on the continent capable of administering the treatment."

"We understand, dear," Arthur reassured her, sensing her regret that she could not facilitate it herself.

"Besides," Scorpius spoke up reluctantly, "as much as we would like to stay with you guys longer, and I really do mean that," he emphasized as he looked to Remus, "the longer we stay the more divergent the time stream will probably become. We've already catalyzed one major change, who knows what else could happen the longer we stay."

There was a loaded silence eerily reminiscent of the moment a pack of lions attacks a lone gazelle, but it was broken by the most unexpected of voices.

"I hate to say it, Mum," Ron said, revealing himself from his hiding place around the corner on the staircase, the extendable ear still draped over his shoulder, "but he's right. Not to say that I haven't liked having you guys here," he quickly reassured his future kids, "but having you all here completely changes the rules of the game. It's like suddenly allowing the rook to move diagonally halfway through a match. It completely changes the possible strategies and outcomes."

"Exactly!" Scorpius exclaimed with a genuine smile in Ron's direction.

"Oh, I know you are right, I just hate to see you go! There's still so much to learn about you all," Molly lamented.

"I know Grandmum, but in a few years you'll see us again, and you'll even get to change our diapers," James joked, breaking the tension. Unfortunately with the tension broken Molly came back to herself. "Ronald Bilius Weasley! You were sent to bed! Get upstairs young man, right this instant! And if the rest of you kids know what is good for you then you'll be tucked in tight before I round that corner!"

There was a scurrying and pounding of feet, paired with muffled giggles, then silence. The time travelers burst out into full laughter at the reaction. "Yep," Rose chuckled, "Gran you haven't changed a bit."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Ten days later Hugo was able to complete the repairs on the TDD, to the relief and dread of his fellow time travelers. They all hated to have to leave their family and new-found friends, Teddy in particular, but there was no denying that James' illness had been taking its toll on him since their adventure at the Department of Mysteries, and he needed to get the cure as soon as possible.

Despite taking the improved potions Al, Torie, and Snape had created for him, James was feeling the debilitating effects of the bloodline curse more and more each day. The decline started subtly, with him sleeping in an hour or so later than usual, and going to bed a little earlier each night, but by the time a week had passed after getting Voldemort's blood, James was unable to sustain even moderate physical activity for more than an hour or two before feeling utterly drained and needing to sit down. He never admitted to being in pain, but when he thought no one was watching, he often had a grimace on his face and his entire body would shake with small tremors. Through it all he deflected his family's concerns and kept his high-spirited joking nature up, but even his fellow pranksters could be caught shooting him worried glances and toning down their antics in deference to his condition.

On the tenth day he was unable to get out of bed at all, and had awful stomach pains, necessitating no delay in returning to the present and getting the blood sample to Healer Volchenkov to create the cure. James rested fitfully as the rest of the kids gathered up their belongings and said their tearful goodbyes to their family members. Remus gave Scorpius a huge stack of classic Muggle literature to bring back with him, and even a preserved sample of his own blood to use in the boy's healing research about lycanthropy. The young blond gave the werewolf a tight hug, trying to hide the water welling up in his eyes at the thought that the kind, intelligent man would perish at the hands of the Death Eaters his own family helped.

"You take care of yourself, Scorp," Remus said with a watery smile as he pulled back from the embrace and looked him in the eayes. "Remember that no matter what anyone says, you are an amazing, kind, smart young man, and I know you are going to change the world for the better."

"Thanks Remus," he replied as he pulled him in for one more short hug before gathering his composure and restoring the stoic façade the Malfoy's were known for.

As Molly shrinked and stuffed countless hand-prepared tarts, biscuits, and cakes into the kids' bags, she grabbed them each into a bone-crushing hug, tears welling in her eyes. Arthur did much the same, though his hugs were gentler, much to the kids' relief.

Sirius, Fred, and George plopped themselves on the couch, surrounding Jamie, and bombarding him with well wishes and crazy ideas for future pranks. Once Fred and George had moved on to say goodbye to their future nephews and nieces, Jamie haulted Sirius from moving to the next group.

"Siri, I have to talk to you before we go," James said with uncharacteristic seriousness. "I've noticed these last few days that you've been ignoring Teddy."

"What? No I haven't, that's ridiculous. Why would I-" Sirius began countering, but James cut him off.

"Don't lie to me, Sirius. You have been ignoring him and you know it. And anytime you happen to be stuck near him you give him a look so cold it almost rivals Snape's! At first I was really confused, but after thinking about it, I think I know what's going on. I think you are angry with him for not trying to change the future; for not trying to save Remus and Tonks." At this, the handsome older man's face flushed, giving away the accuracy of Jamie's assessment. "I get it, I really do, I mean, he's your best friend and she's your favorite cousin, but what you are failing to see is that they are his _parents_. All his life, all Teddy _ever_ wanted was to be able to know his parents, to experience all the things regular kids take for granted with them. Don't you think if there was any way he could save them, he would?"

"But there _is_ a way! We can just warn them of when they, uh, pass, and then they can avoid that place and time. You saved me, Jamie, we can save them too!" he whispered excitedly.

"No," the young boy replied sadly, "we can't. Sirius, I don't regret saving you, but I honestly should not have done it. Merlin only knows how that has fucked up the timeline and all I can do is pray to any deity that will hear me that it doesn't turn the tide of the war and end up making Voldemort win, or Dad die, or something equally awful."

"How could either of those happen just by my being alive? I'd never help that snake-faced bastard, and you know I'd protect Harry with my life!" he growled.

"I know," James placated, "but it doesn't have to be anything you physically even do. Sirius, although my Dad has never said as much, I always got the impression that it was your death that made Dad take his fight against Voldemort to the next level. He always took it seriously, I know, with what he did to his parents and that Cedric kid, but I think seeing the Death Eaters take you away from him was what truly pushed him over the edge. He used that pain, and his love for you, to face insane odds and never give up. He grew up in that moment. What if, without that driving force, he isn't ready to face Voldemort?"

"I…oh bollucks, I never knew…I never thought about it like that," Sirius admitted, looking stricken.

"I know. I wouldn't expect you, or anyone, to. But that's precisely why Teddy can't warn his Mum and Dad, no matter how much it kills him inside. And believe me, it is tearing him apart," he added, looking forlornly at his godbrother being cradled in his parents' arms, tears streaming down his face.

"I've been a bloody selfish prat, haven't I?" Sirius asked as he watched the heartbreaking scene.

"Yeah, but it's not too late to fix it," Jamie replied.

"You think he'll forgive me?"

"Sure he will. Teddy is the most forgiving guy I know! Takes after his Dad, I hear," he winked. "Besides, you're always a prat, so we're all used to it," he added slyly, earning himself a soft punch in the shoulder.

"Thanks, kiddo," the convict said with a sincere smile. "You're alright, and…I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," James responded, pulling the older man back down to him for a hug. "But perhaps we will meet again when I'm born."

Sirius laughed and ruffled the boy's hair as he stood and straightened his shirt, eyeing Teddy with determination. "Well, here goes nothing."

James watched as Sirius cut in and he and Teddy moved to a corner of the room. Teddy seemed wary at first, but soon his face sagged in understanding and relief, fresh tears pricking his eyes, and then the men were hugging strongly. Remus made his way to them, followed shortly by Dora, and the family convened for what had to be the saddest goodbye in history.

Snape, of course, merely stood stoically in the shadows of the room, keeping a wary eye on the maudlin proceedings all around him. For what had to be the hundreth time, he marveled at the fact that the Dark Lord would truly be vanquished one day, and that the damned Potter brat, of all people, would actually be the one to accomplish it. Though he would _never,_ ever admit it, not even under a thousand Cruciatus curses, he respected the boy's perseverance and bravery. He was still an incorrigible, arrogant, rude little toerag, but not many could face the Dark Lord without keeling over in fright, let alone face him head on and rise up to the weighty responsibility of knowing they alone were charged with saving the world. As that thought passed through the Potions Master's mind he truly hoped he perished in the war, which he suspected was the case anyway, because if he had to deal with Potter's ego after saving the world he'd AK himself!

His frightening thoughts were interrupted by the miniaturized version of the tossle-haired menace himself. Though, again reluctantly, Severus had to admit that this Potter wasn't so bad. The boy who donned his own name was inarguably intelligent, and wickedly clever as well. He listened raptly, and quietly, to Severus when he deigned to teach him something, and he caught on quickly. He was fiercely determined to prove himself and to continually improve his skills. He reminded Severus of sweet Lily in so many ways, right down to the way he stuck his tongue out when he was concentrating, to, of course, the sparkling emerald eyes. He felt the familiar vice grip on his heart as he thought of his lost love and how he had wronged her, but he breathed through it and sneered at Al, who was looking up at him expectantly.

"Professor Snape, Sir…" the boy inquired, ignoring the usual sneer on the dour man's face.

"What is it, brat?"

"I just wanted to say thank you. I have learned so much from you these past few months, and I know it wasn't easy for you to work with me, and you didn't want to do it, but you still taught me, and for that I am very grateful," Al said with wide, sincere eyes.

Severus was taken aback for a moment, not used to politeness and respect coming from a Potter. Still, being the consummate spy he was, he didn't let his surprise show on his face at all. His usual scowl was firmly in place as he looked down his considerable nose at his pupil. "I see," he simply droled.

"Yeah…" Al answered awkwardly, rubbing his hand through his wild hair. The boy was desperate to warn his mentor of his impending fate, but he was smart enough to know how dangerous that would be. Besides, Dumbledore was going to _Obliviate_ them all shortly after they left anyway, so all the information would do is needlessly upset him. Still, Al couldn't help feeling like he was betraying the Professor with his silence.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, boy, don't make yourself even more crazy than you already are!" he growled. "I am perfectly aware that I am going to die and I don't need your pathetic little warning to save me."

Al's emerald eyes widened until they were nearly all pupil, and he was struck speechless. "But how…how do you…"

"How did I know I was going to die?" Severus finished for the flustered boy, " I should think it's rather obvious. I am a double agent in a violent war against a sadistic madman, under the thumb of a dodgy, meddling old codger who is far more manipulative than he lets on. The chances of survival are slim to say the least. Besides," he added in a hushed tone, "everyone I have ever cared for is gone; once the Dark Lord has been defeated, I have no cause to remain in this world."

"Sir," Al began with despondence in his voice.

"Mr. Potter, I do not need, nor do I want your pity. If you truly wish to help me, you can do so by not becoming another dunderhead like your father and grandfather."

Al cracked a small smile, having long ago grown immune to the dark man's insults against his family. "Very well, Sir, I'll do my best not to disappoint you."

"You do that," he replied evenly, without betraying a shred of emotion, but much to Al's shock, he extended a hand. Al shook it, still in awe of the olive branch offered from his snarky mentor. The moment was shattered, though, by a crippling pain blooming in the young man's abdomen. He doubled over in pain, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Al, what's wrong darling?" Molly asked, immediately at the boy's side. She was joined shortly by Scorpius, whose pale complexion had whitened to nearly translucent with worry for his boyfriend, and Harry and Ginny, who were instantly at their future son's side.

"Uh, I don't know," he ground out, "my stomach just starting hurting."

James' eyes widened at this and he immediately piped up. "Al, does it feel like a burning in your stomach?"

"Yeah, that's it," he confirmed, causing James to inhale deeply

"Fuck," the older boy spat, drawing the attention away from his brother.

"What is it, James?" Rose asked, already dreading his answer.

"That's how my symptoms started. The pains only lasted a few minutes, so I thought it was just something I ate, but as I got worse they became more frequent, along with the lethargy, and whole body aches."

"No!" Scorpius shouted, tears welling in his stormy eyes. "I can't lose you, I can't!"

"You won't," Lily assured the nearly hysterical blond. "We have Voldemort's blood, remember? We're going to bring it back and get the cure. It'll be alright, you'll see," she said to both Scorpius and her brothers.

"Right," Remus interjected, "you'd best be on your way, than."

"Yeah, we'd better get going," Hugh seconded. "The TDD is already to go."

"Thanks, Hugh," Rose replied, moving everyone towards the device.

Scorpius helped Al up now that the pain had subsided and they made their way over to the TDD, giving their last hugs to their friends and family along the way. Harry pulled Al aside for one more quick goodbye, despite having spoken extensively to each of his future kids earlier in the day.

"Al," the Chosen One began, "I just want you to know how proud I am of you. You are an amazing young man, I admire the strength you have to be who you truly are instead of trying to meet someone else's expectations. Always stay true to yourself, you little mad genius. I love you, and I am sure future me feels the same."

"Thanks, Dad," Al replied with watery eyes, hugging him with all his might. "I promise I'll tell him, er…you, about Scorp once we get back."

Harry just nodded and added one more quick hug before setting him free.

Once everyone was on the disk, they waved tearfully to the group as Hugh set the controls. With a final goodbye, the machine kicked on, and the group disappeared in a flash.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

The group flashed back into existence in the same spot they departed from, reappearing right in the middle of the living room of Grimmauld Place. They had thought about going back to the Burrow for their return, so it would be seamless from their departure, but unfortunately James' level of illness prevented him from being easily moved. Thus, they returned to Grimmauld Place, where James immediately fell unconscious.

"James!" Lily screamed, noticing as her oldest brother slumped bonelessly to the ground.

"Oh shite," Teddy swore, worry blooming on his handsome face.

"We need to get him to hospital, _now_ ," Victorie insisted.

"Right," Teddy agreed, picking up the young man who he thought of as his brother almost effortlessly. He sprinted towards the floo, stopping only momentarily to give the rest of the group instructions.

"Tori, come with me, and bring the blood. The rest of you get back to the Burrow immediately and tell Harry that James collapsed. We'll meet you at St. Mungos."

The group nodded and watched him disappear in a cloud of green dust, with Tori following a mere moment later. For a few moments, the kids were frozen with fear. They knew James was going downhill fast, and if the blood didn't work, chances are he wouldn't be waking up again anytime soon. "Ok," Scorpius spoke up, breaking the tension, "let's get back to the Burrow and then get to hospital."

The group flooed back to the Burrow and quietly stepped into the dark, silent living room.

"What are we going to tell them when they ask about the blood?" Hugo inquired in a whisper.

"At this point I think we should just tell them the truth," Al suggested. "Considering what happened…back then, we might not have a choice. Depending on what happened with Sirius, it might be pretty obvious that something big happened. Rose, is that how it works?"

"Well, needless to say there isn't much research on the subject, but with the limited information we have, it seems that those who took part in the time travel will remember everything that occurred during the travel, as well as in the original timeline, but those who are outside of the travelers will only recall the timeline as it currently stands," she explained.

"So if Sirius is alive, we'll be the only ones who remember he was ever…killed?" Lily asked uncertainly.

"Yes, exactly," Rose affirmed.

"So we won't remember anything that happened for our whole lives in the new timeline?" Al asked in disbelief.

"I don't know. I don't personally recall anything different, do you guys?" Rose asked.

The rest of the travelers shook their heads.

"That's going to be weird," Hugo mused, " if we've got no knowledge of the world as it is now."

"Yeah, but maybe, with any luck, things haven't changed that much. After all, we only changed one thing while we were there," Rose mused with more than an edge of doubt in her voice.

"Well, whatever happens, we've got each other," Scorpius affirmed with a small smile.

"Right, now let's go face the music," Al lead, steeling his shoulders and leading the group upstairs to his parents' room. He pressed his ear against the door first to ascertain if there were any…private noises coming from the room. When he was met with silence, he took a deep breath and knocked, hoping his parents were truly asleep and not in the midst of something with a Silencing Charm applied. After a moment with no reply he knocked harder, and heard his father grumbling his way out of bed.

"Was a matta?" Harry sleepily slurred as he yanked open the door. His eyes opened to full alertness, though, when he saw the horde of children outside of his door.

"Jamie collapsed," Al said quickly, the worry seeping through in his voice.

"Teddy and Tori took him to St. Mungos," Rose added, trying to offer her uncle some small bit of comfort.

"Shite! Gin, sweetie, wake up. It's Jamie. We have to go," he called to his sleeping wife, who immediately shot awake at his call.

"Jamie? What's wrong? Is he…" she trailed off, too frightened to voice her worst fears.

"He collapsed, Aunt Ginny," Hugo supplied quickly. "He's unconscious, but he's at St. Mungos already."

Ginny nodded resolutely and transfigured her skimpy pajamas into basic clothing as Harry did the same with his boxers. In moments they were at the Floo and on their way to St. Mungos.

When they arrived, Teddy was waiting for them and waisted no time bringing them to the room where Jamie was being treated. "Did you tell them?" Teddy asked the group of kids trailing in the Potters' wake.

"Tell us what?" Harry demanded, fear striking his heart.

"No, Ted," Al chastised lightly, "we didn't get a chance to yet."

"What didn't you tell us?" Harry demanded, all the while still rushing towards the room where his son was.

"Well, you see, we uh…" Al faltered, worried about his parents' reaction to the news that they had procured the blood needed for the cure. Obviously they would be thrilled at having a cure, but it would inevitably lead to questions about how in the name of Merlin they got their hands on Voldemort's blood!

"We got what James needs for the cure," Scorpius asserted with his trademark Malfoy coolness, making it sound like the revelation was no big deal.

This did manage to stop the elder Potter's in their tracks, as they both stared, wide-eyed, at the young man. "Scorpius, what do you mean?" Ginny breathed out, torn between hope and agony.

"We got the blood, Mrs. Potter," he replied evenly, hoping to show her that he wasn't messing around and wouldn't be so needlessly cruel to raise her hopes without reason.

"What do you mean, you got the blood? Voldemort's blood? How did you even know we needed it?" Harry asked, gripping the boy's arms painfully tightly.

"We eavesdropped on you," Rose admitted as the Head Auror turned his burning gaze to her. "Extendable Ears," she added. "What can I say, we're Weasleys," she said with a shrug.

"But how did you get it?" Ginny interrupted before Harry could reply to their admitted sneaking.

"It's a bit of a long story, Gin," Teddy put in.

"You knew about this?" Harry asked, whipping around to face his eldest "son".

"Yeah. Well, not at first, but I kind of got dragged into it. Look, I know it sounds crazy, and I promise we'll explain everything, but right now you just have to trust us. We can cure Jamie, but we need to get to him, now."

"Of course I trust you, Ted," Harry said sincerely, "I trust all of you," he added, looking at the group of nervous teens. "Ok, let's go."

The group began moving again and arrived at the hospital room just as Healer Volchenkov opened the door. "Ah, Mister Potter, pervect timing. I have tested ze blood and found it is from ze source that placed da curse. I vill need some of your blood as vell for the potion to cure ze curse."

"Of-of course," Harry agreed, still in disbelief and praying that this wasn't a dream. The Healer led him to a chair next to Jamie's bed, where Victorie was evaluating his vital signs. James looked undeniably pale and horrifically still, but Tori was quick to reassure her Uncle.

"He's under a stasis spell, Uncle Harry. He's ok. The curse has progressed, but he can't feel any pain now and if we administer the cure today we are confident that he'll make a full recovery."

Harry let out the breath he had been holding and Ginny gripped his hand tightly. "Thank you, Tori," he said with tears in his eyes.

"All vight," Healer Volchenkov interjected, "I vill need to take your blood now, Auror Potter."

Harry nodded and held out his arm for the spell. The healer collected it in a vial and resealed the small cut with a wandless spell. "I vill need to brew did and let it simmer. Ze cure should be ready in about 24 hours. Vould you like to come back zen?"

Harry glanced at James in the hospital bed, then at his wife, reading her opinion clearly in her eyes. "No, thank you. We'll wait here."

"Very vell," the healer agreed easily as he turned and transfigured a few items around the room into an additional bed and some chairs. "I vill return ven the cure is ready."

Harry immediately enveloped his wife in a tear-filled hug, relief washing over them in such a powerful wave that they couldn't hold it back. As his parents embraced, Al took advantage of their distraction and snuck out after the healer.

"Excuse me," he called out to him.

"Yah?" Healer Volchenkov replied, turning to face the younger Potter brother.

"Healer…when you administer the cure, will it cure just James, or will it cure all of us? I mean, do Lils and I need to take it too?" he asked nervously.

"Ah, no, ze cure will not be given to Yames, it wil be given to your fazer. He iz de carrier, so he must be given ze cure. Vonce he has been cured, all ze offspring vill be free from ze curse as vell. Yames will need some furzer treatment to heal the damage done, but you and Lily vill not need treatment."

"Uh, what if we, uh, I have had some symptoms?" he asked while ruffling his messy hair.

"Al, haf you had symptoms?" the healer asked with a pentrating gaze.

"Um, nothing major. Just one stomach ache, earlier today. It only lasted a few minutes, and I wouldn't think anything of it, but…it's just that James said his started the same way."

"I am very glad you told me," ve veil need to get you examined to make sure zere is no damage. If zere iz, ve vill treat ze effects."

"Ok, thanks Healer Volchenkov," Al said with a flood of relief as Scorpius's arms wrapped around him from behind.

"I'm glad you told him, " Scorp breathed as he nuzzled just below Al's ear. "If you hadn't I would have. I can't lose you, _mon coeur_."

"I know; I don't want to lose you either, my angel." They sealed the sentiment with a kiss before going back into the hospital room, hand in hand.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

"Mum, Dad," Al called as he stepped back into the room, "I know this isn't the greatest time, but I wanted to tell you something."

Noticing the boy's downturned gaze and trademark nervous fidgeting, his parents realized this must be something important.

"Go on, sweetheart, you know you can tell us anything," Ginny encouraged. Scorpius gave his boyfriend's hand a comforting squeeze, letting him know he was there for him.

"You see, the thing is…I-I'm gay. And Scorpius and I, we, well we're together. Like, together, together. He's not my friend, well, no, he is my friend, but what I mean is…he's, we're…"

"We're in love," Scorpius affirmed, cutting Al off before his nervous rambling truly got away from him.

For a moment, no one said anything. Al's heart rate quickened and his nervousness grew into fear. _Oh shite! They hate me! They think I'm a huge freak! What if they disown me?_

"Yeah, and?" Harry asked, confusion clearly written on his face.

"Wh-what?" Al stuttered out, his father's blasé question ripping him out of his nightmares.

"You said you had to tell us something. What is it?" Harry continued.

"That, that…" Al stumbled, utterly perplexed at his parents' reaction, or lack thereof. He looked at Scorpius, who seemed just as non-plussed as he was.

"Oh! Oh Merlin!" Ginny finally exclaimed, her hand flying to her mouth. "Al, are you trying to tell us what I think you are?" she asked urgently.

"Um…" Albus merely replied, still unsure if his parents understood that he was coming out, although he didn't know how he could make it any more blatant.

"Are you two engaged?" Ginny elaborated.

"WHAT?!" Scorpius shouted

"NO!" Al spat out, now totally in disbelief.

"Thank Merlin," Harry sighed, earning the stares of both boys and his wife. "I mean, its not that I don't want you two to get married," he quickly explained, "someday. It's just that you're still so young! I know you've been together for almost three years now, and you are more in love with each other than anyone else I know, but still, you should at least finish school before you start talking engagements."

"Your father's right," Ginny lamented, "you should finish school, but after that I am completely onboard!" she insisted with a wide smile.

The two boys stared at each other in utter shock. How had Al's parents known how long they had been together? And how long had they known Al was gay? Why didn't they ever say anything?

"Ok, so if you're not engaged, what is the big news? What did you need to tell us?" Harry inquired, trying to get the conversation back on track now that the boys had gone mute and looked like they had seen a crumple-horned snorkack.

"I-I just told you," Al asserted after getting his voice back. "I'm gay. I'm in love with Scorp."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, silently communicating their concern. "Honey, are you feeling alright?" Ginny asked softly, leaning over to feel if he had a fever.

"Mum, quit it! I feel fine," Al huffed.

"He doesn't have a fever," Ginny told Harry. "Maybe it's a spell of some kind?"

"A spell? Mum, what are you talking about? I'm not ill or under a spell. I really am gay and I really am in love with Scor!" he insisted, getting angry now.

"We know that, Al," Harry affirmed, "what we don't know is why you think this is news to us. You told us you were gay when you were 12, and you told us you were dating Scorp during your fourth year."

Hearing this caused the green-eyed teen to nearly faint. "I did?" he whispered, looking frantically at Scorpius. The blond shrugged, feeling just as lost as his boyfriend.

"Oh! The timeline changes!" Rose suddenly exclaimed in realization.

"Timeline changes?" Harry asked with dawning horror. "Rose, what do you mean timeline changes? What did you do?"

"Did I say timeline changes?" Rose asked innocently, "silly me, I meant…uh, I meant," she floundered, looking to her Slytherin counterparts for some sneaky assistance.

"Rose," Teddy warned, "I think we should just come clean. They're going to ask about the blood anyway, like you said before, so we might as well just get it over with."

"The blood?" Ginny asked. "Is this the long story you were alluding to earlier?"

"Yes," Teddy confirmed.

"Oh Merlin," Harry lamented, hanging his head in his hands, "tell me you kids didn't mess with time! How many times has Hermione warned you?"

"We know, Dad," Lily spoke up, "but we _had_ to! It was the only way to save James' life! You said it yourself, Voldemort is dead; there was no way to get his blood now, but back in the past-"

"You went back to when Voldemort was alive!" Ginny exploded, her heart aching at the thought of her children experiencing the horrors she and Harry did.

The group sheepishly nodded as she clutched at her chest and fell heavily back into her chair. Harry was immediately at her side, rubbing her back to comfort her. "It's ok, sweetie, they are all safe."

"Safe, but grounded!" she growled, her warm brown eyes turning to molten lava. "You are ALL grounded for the rest of your lives! And you three," she threatened, pointing at Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius, " I am firecalling your parents and telling them what you did!" At this pronouncement the blood drained from Scorpius's face and he gulped audibly. "And you, Teddy! I can't ground you, but I am _very_ disappointed in you! You are supposed to be the mature one, the responsible one! You are supposed to be a role model!" she berated as the metamorphmagus's face crumpled in shame.

"Stop, Mum." Al stepped in with. "It wasn't Teddy's fault. He didn't know anything about the plan and when he stumbled upon us enacting it, he tried to stop us, really he did. But, something, uh, went wrong and the TDD activated early and Teddy, and Tori, both got sucked back with us!"

"Teddy," Ginny began apologetically, noting the heartbroken look on the young man's face. "I am so sorry. I know you would never endanger the kids. You've been looking out for them their whole lives and I can't thank you enough for that. You are the best big brother in the world. I'm just so upset and stressed, and worried, that I lashed out without thinking. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course I can," he readily agreed, swooping the shorter woman in for a strong hug.

"Thanks for keeping them safe," Harry added, joining into the hug. "Well, now that that is all settled, how about you all tell us what happened? EVERYTHING that happened."

"Hang on," Ginny interrupted, "Let me get Ron, Hermione, and the Malfoy's here first. I'm sure they will want to hear it as well."

"Oh Merlin, we're dead," Hugo whined, the rest of the kids readily agreeing.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

After more than a few interruptions of disbelief, outrage, fear, and "you are grounded forever!", the kids finally got through the tale of their time travel quest. When it was concluded, 6 pairs of eyes stared back at them in utter awe.

"So, Sirius originally…died?" Harry finally managed to eek out, despair shining brightly in his emerald eyes.

"I'm afraid so," Teddy affirmed.

"But…Jamie saved him?" Harry asked.

"Yep," Al replied. "We knew we weren't supposed to change anything, no matter how much we wanted to," he explained while eying Teddy with sympathy, "but when it came time for him to go through the Veil, Jamie just acted on instinct and saved him."

"So, he's still alive?" Rose asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Of course he's alive!" Ron exclaimed. "You know that, Rose, he runs one of the Wheezes stores!"

"He does?" she asked, a headache flaring up as she tried to think about it.

"You-none of you- recall anything from this timeline?" Hermione asked with concern.

The time travelers all shook their heads, causing the adults to look at each other with clear trepidation.

"We should research the effects of time travel," Hermione began.

"I tried that, Mum," Rose stated. "There isn't much on it, especially since the public only had access to time turners that could go back a few hours."

"Yes, since nobody else would be foolhardy enough to impersonate their father, break into a top secret Ministry facility, and steal a _developmental_ time travel device that they know nothing about!" Draco Malfoy growled, boring a hole into his son with his steely glare. "Still, there might be something in the Manor library. Would you like to accompany me and assist with the research Hermione?" he asked without any emotion in his voice.

"Hermione?" Rose, Scorp, and Al all mouthed at the same time.

"Wow, I guess a lot really has changed!" Hugo smiled.

"Oh, ow!" Teddy suddenly exclaimed, clutching his head.

"Ted, are you alright?" Harry asked, helping the tall man to a seat.

"Ugh, yeah, its just, I got a killer headache all of a sudden," he ground out. "It's worse than the time I hit my head on that rock after falling off Padfoot's motorbike."

"What?" Hermione gasped. "Did you say…Padfoot?"

"Ugh, yeah, you know, it happened when I was 10 and you screamed at him for letting me on the bike when I was so youn-" he trailed off, realizing what he was saying. "Wait, that never happened," he mumbled.

"It did," Ron corrected, "but it happened in _this_ timline, the one where Sirius is alive."

"How did you know that?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, its like, all of a sudden it was just there, in my head. I remember it, though, I remember the pain, and how Padfoot was so worried…"

"We need to get to that research," Draco observed. Hermione nodded, quickly gathering her things and hugging her husband before following the Malfoy's back to the floo.

"Should we get a healer who specializes in mind and brain spells? Maybe they will be able to help us," Ron asked Harry, looking unsure.

"Yeah, but what will we tell them? We can't admit that our kids traveled years back in time. If the Ministry finds out they will haul them all down there and try to prosecute them…or study them."

"He's right," Ginny agreed with a sigh. "We need to keep this to ourselves unless the physical effects become really serious."

"Right," Ron nodded. "Sorry kids, it looks like you're in for some wicked headaches."

"I can at least get us all some general pain potions," Victorie offered, much to the relief of her husband.

"Yes, that would be great. Thanks Tori," the elder redhead replied.

"No problem, Uncle Ron," she said with a strained smile as she left the room. Once she was in the hall she gave into the pain she had been trying to hide and rubbed her temples in small circles.

Over the next hour, each of the time travelers was struck with blaring headaches as bits and pieces of the occurrences in the new timeline came back to them. "Well," Albus said with a struggle, "at least we won't be lost in our own lives now."

"Yeah," Hugo agreed, "but does this mean our original memories will fade away, or will we have both sets?"

"I don't know, Hugh," his sister replied with a disgruntled tone. She _hated_ not knowing the answer to things!

"I think I might have the answer to that," Draco commented nonchalantly as he swept into the room carrying a large, ancient-looking tome.

"Really?" Rose asked with unbridled enthusiasm, practically salivating at the source of untapped knowledge the man held in his hands. She reached out to examine the tomb, only to have her arm grabbed firmly by her mother.

"No, sweetie," she stated sadly, " I know its tempting to look through the book… _very tempting,_ but its dangerous."

"Your mother is correct, Miss Weasley," Draco added. This is a very Dark book, and my ancestors put certain, _protections,_ in place to ensure no one outside of the Malfoy line could lay hands upon it."

"Hmph," she huffed. "Stupid Dark magic."

"Yes, well, regardless, we are fortunate enough that the spells do not affect those of Malfoy lineage, so I am able to handle the book and read it, as well. I found a section regarding an ancient time travel device, last used in 1696, that allowed participants to travel years into the past. The magic was banned after that since it was apparently directly responsible for causing the Salem Witch Trials in the States."

"Whoa, really?" Scorpius asked in awe, now itching to get his own hands on the book his father carried.

"Yes, you can read all about it once we get this situation resolved," he placated.

"Yes!" Scorpius exclaimed, earning a sour glare from Rose.

"You were saying you found some answers?" Ron interjected before Rose and Scorpius could launch into one of their legendary, friendly bickering sessions.

"Correct. It seems that these time travelers also had the same reaction to their journey as our children did. The headaches are indications of new memories being generated to account for the changes made to the timeline during their travels," Draco explained.

"The duration of the headaches has a direct correlation to the amount of time affected by the timeline changes, so the longer one goes back, the longer the headaches seem to last," Hermione continued.

"Oh great, so we're going to be in pain for years?" Lily groused.

"Thankfully, no," Hermione corrected. "The correlation is direct, but not linear. It seems the ratio is roughly equivalent to one hour of effect for each year traveled."

"So we'll have these headaches for approximately 27 hours?" Hugo asked.

"Correct," Astoria confirmed. "But after that you will be in perfect health and have all the memories of the current timeline. It seems that you will also retain memories of your previous timeline, but they will become more distant and detached."

"Like if you put them into a pensieve?" Al asked his boyfriend's mother.

"Exactly," she said with a smile.

"Memories will continue to return to you throughout the duration of the headaches," Hermione added, "So it is best if you all stay somewhere safe until the process is complete."

"But we want to be here for Jamie, when the cure is administered," Al countered.

"I know you do," Harry said with sympathy, "but Jamie will be fine here, it's just a matter of time. We need to keep all of you safe, too. If someone notices what you are going through it will lead to questions we can't answer. It's safer for everyone if you go until this is all through."

"You can come to the Manor for the time being," Astoria offered. "It is secure and isolated, so there is no chance of running into anyone."

"That's a good idea," Ron said, to the shock of all the kids.

"It is?" Rose asked in disbelief. _What in the world is up with Dad? He barely tolerates the Malfoys! Even with me being friends with Scorp since first year, he is always an arse to Mr. Malfoy!_

"Yeah, of course. It's the most secure place except for Grimmauld, and the Malfoy's have house elves to cook for us!" Ron replied as his wife elbowed him in the ribs.

Rose gripped her head as another wave of pain hit her at that moment and a string of memories returned to her, all involving her family's history with the Malfoys. She recalled Scorpius coming over to the Burrow to play when they were little kids, being brought by Sirius at first, then with Narcissa, Andromeda, Teddy, and Sirius, and eventually with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. She remembered Uncle Harry and Mr. Malfoy shaking hands, and her Dad reluctantly taking the blond man's hand as well. A flood of memories of dinners at Malfoy Manor, her own home, the Burrow, and Grimmauld Place all followed, and suddenly she understood. In this timeline, the Malfoys, Potters, and Weasleys were actually friends! Somehow, Sirius had reconnected with the remaining Blacks, and Narcissa had been brought back into the fold, bringing her son with her.

"Wow," she breathed as the pain passed, "its amazing how much one thing can change."

"Well, if that's settled, shall we go back to the Manor?" Draco asked.

"Yes, if you don't mind watching them," Harry asked Draco and Astoria. "I'll send a Patronus once they are ready to administer the cure."

"Don't worry, Harry, we'll take good care of the kids," Astoria assured. "And make sure these two keep the door to Scorpius's room _open_ ," she smirked.

"Wait, you…you know too? About us?" Scorpius asked his stalwardly traditional parents.

"Of course we do, son," Draco replied. "You've been together for years! Your coming out nearly killed Grandpa Lucius! How could we forget something like that?" he scoffed.

"Darling, the timeline, remember," Astoria reminded him with a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, yes, of course!" he exclaimed. "So, you mean to tell me that we didn't know about you in the other timeline, or you weren't together?"

"No, we were still together, we just, uh…" Scorpius stumbled.

"Hid it from us?" Draco asked pointedly.

"You have to understand Father, things were different then; you were different."

"How so?" Draco asked, half worried what his son's response would be.

"Don't get me wrong, you were still an amazing father, it's just that you were still more…traditional. You were really set on me carrying on the Malfoy name so…"

"Even with Rigel and Altair, I was still that concerned?" Draco asked with confusion.

"Rigel and Altair? Who are…oh, ow!" Scorpius exclaimed as he grabbed his head in a stab of pain. As it did with Rose, a flood of new memories filled his mind. He remembered seeing his Mum and Dad embracing, joyous smiles on both of their spaces and a light blue mist enveloping them. He remembered being sat down by the pair of them, his little 9 year old legs barely reaching the edge of the huge couch. " _Sweetheart, we have some great news. You're going to be a big brother!"_ He saw his Mum and Dad coming back from St. Mungos, two squirming bundles in their hands. " _Scorpius, meet your new baby brothers. This is Rigel, and this is Altair."_ He remembered years of crying, cooing, first steps, teaching them how to read, play, and swim. He recalled sibling rivalries, fights, and squabbling, but he also recalled countless hugs, looks of adoration, and being there for them when they were scarred to start preschool.

"Oh Merlin," he gasped, "that's so weird! I'm a big brother. I have siblings!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Of course you are," Astoria confirmed. "You weren't…before?"

"No, I was an only child in the other timeline. It was so lonely; I wished for siblings so many times!"

"Well, wish granted,' Draco smirked. "We'll see if you feel the same when you have to babysit the little hellions!"

"Speaking of which, we should get home. Your mum isn't as young as she used to be, and even with Pinky there to help her, those kids are a handful!" Astoria interjected.

"Very true. Alright Potters, Weasleys, are you ready?" Draco asked.

The kids nodded and made their way towards the floo with Hermione and Ron following in their wake. They all said their farewells to Harry and Ginny, then disappeared through the green smoke.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Ugh, am I dead?" James grumbled as he tried to open his eyes, only to be met with a bright, harsh light and a glimpse of being surrounded by white.

"Oh my God, Jamie, you're awake!" an unfamiliar female voice exclaimed just before James found himself enveloped in warm, soft arms and surrounded by a sweet, intoxicating fragrence. "Oh Babe, I was so worried about you!" the woman stated as she smoothed her hands over his forehead and through his hair.

James struggled to fully open his eyes and was greeted with the visage of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had long, wavy locks of jet-black hair, sparkling blue eyes, and flawless tanned olive skin. Her beaming smile was framed by lush lips, and it was directed straight at him.

"Are you an angel?" he asked groggily.

"Flatterer," she replied with a smirk before leaning in and giving him a gentle, yet passionate kiss on the lips.

They were interrupted by someone clearing his throat, and James turned to see his father, looking exceedingly relieved, standing in the corner holding two cups of tea. Upon seeing his son awake and alert, though, he dropped both cups on the floor and sprinted to his bedside. The dark haired beauty backed up to give them room, gazing upon them fondly.

"Oh son, I'm so glad you're alright. How do you feel?" Harry asked with concern as he gripped his son's hand.

"Fuzzy," he replied. "But since you're here, I guess I'm not dead and in Heaven after all," he joked with a small smirk. "After all, we all know you can't die," he added with a wink. Harry chuckled at the antics of his little prankster and enveloped him in a strong hug.

"I'll go get the Healer, Harry, and let him know Jamie's awake," the beautiful girl said as she patted Jamie's leg and got up to head towards the door. She blew him a kiss on her way out, causing him to blush from his ears to his nose.

"James, do you know where you are?" Harry asked seriously once they were alone.

"St. Mungos," he guessed, "again," he added with a sigh.

"Yes, very good. Do you know why you're here?"

"I collapsed again, didn't I?" he asked forlornly.

"I'm afraid so, but that isn't the only reason. You see, Healer Volchenkov was able to brew and administer the cure while you were out."

"He…he did? I'm…cured?" James asked with hopeful disbelief.

"Yes son, you're cured! You all are! Once the healer got the blood, which you **will** be punished for going after, you reckless idiot, he was able to brew the curative potion and I took it a few hours ago. He tested you, and your system is clear of the curse," he informed him as happy tears rolled down his cheeks. "There was some damage done to your system due to having the curse in effect for so long, but those can be treated. The healer said you should be able to leave here in a week or two and be fully recovered by the time the season begins."

James's face lit up with the good news and he let out a triumphant whoop before pulling his father into a warm embrace. "That is amazing! This is turning out to be the best day of my life! I wake up to an angel at my bedside, get told I'm cured, and find out I'll be able to play with the Cannons again next season! By the way, Dad, do you know who that girl was that was here? I kind of assumed she was a resourceful obsessed fan, but she seemed to know you."

"You don't remember her?" Harry asked warily.

"No, should I?"

"Damn. Judging by the position I found you in I figured your memories of the new timeline must have filled in while you were unconscious."

"New timeline?" James asked in confusion, "Dad, what are you talking about?"

Before Harry could reply, the woman in question returned, along with Healer Volchenkov, and three other people. One he recognized immediately as his Mum, who quickly ran up to him and smothered him in a tearful hug. The other two, though, he didn't recognize. He did notice that they both bore a resemblance to the striking girl who had been at his side when he awoke.

"About time you woke up, Redtail! Although I guess you did need a lot of beauty rest," the tall man commented with a smirk and sparkling gray eyes.

James' eyes widened as he took in the visage before him; the wavy black hair, though streaked subtly now with silver, laughing eyes, and haughty attitude were trademark Sirius Black! _No, it couldn't be! Could it? Is it possible he actually survived the war?_ Just then the man in question gave a familiar barking laugh, confirming his identity to the young man in the hospital bed.

"Padfoot? Is that really you?" James asked, his throat dry with anticipation.

"Course it's me," he replied easily, perching on the bed so he could lightly punch the young man's shoulder. "Who were you expecting? The tooth fairy?"

"But…you're alive!" James nearly shouted, to the confusion of nearly the entire room.

Harry chose that moment to intervene on his son's behalf. "His 'new' memories didn't return while he was unconscious," he explained with a hint of sadness.

"Oh!" Sirius exclaimed, having come to terms with the revelation that he had perished in the alternate timeline that the Potter, Weasley, and Lupin kids had apparently gone back in time from. "That explains it, then," he accepted easily. Unfortunately, not everyone in the group was so easygoing about that revelation.

"Wait, so…you don't know me?" the girl asked with a distinct tone of nervousness.

"Uh, no, I'm afraid I don't," James replied sheepishly.

"Oh God! You must think I'm insane! I just threw myself on you!" the still unnamed girl lamented, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"You did what?" Sirius growled, his carefree smile being instantly replaced with a scowl.

"Oh Daddy, stop it, I was just kissing him!" the girl replied as she rolled her eyes and waved him off.

"Daddy?!" James exclaimed, sitting bolt upright, despite the lingering weakness and lightheadedness he felt.

"Sirius, Lyra, you both stop, right now," the unidentified woman in the room commanded with a thick exotic accent. "James is still recovering and this stress is certinly not helping. If you can't behave you will have to leave." Both Sirius and Lyra looked sheepish and muttered apologies to one another.

"Thank you, Mari," Ginny espoused with a significant look at Sirius.

"Uh, yeah, could someone tell me what's going on now?" James asked with a smirk that didn't quite cover his embarrassment at having been caught kissing a girl who was a complete stranger to him, and who was apparently Sirus Black's daughter!

"Of course, darling," Ginny agreed, taking a seat on the bed next to her son. "You see, when you traveled back in time-"

"Which you _will_ be punished for," Harry cut in sternly.

"-you apparently changed some things. We only have the kids' word for this, as we, being outside of the time loop, as Hugo called it, don't recall things ever having been any different then they are now. But given all of your reactions to certina things, such as Sirius being here, we really can't doubt that you are telling the truth."

"So, I'm just going to be in the dark forever?" James asked with fear on his face. "Oh Merlin, am I still a Chaser?" he asked, now in a panic.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie, you are still the star Chaser for the Cannons," his mother soothed, causing him to notably relax. "Apparently even time travel can't change your Quidditch and Cannons obsessed brain!"

"And you won't be in the dark forever, either," Harry added consolingly. "Your 'memories' of the new timeline will come back in bits and pieces over the next day or two. You'll have a hell of a headache while that's happening, but it won't last too long. You'll also keep your memories from the previous timeline, they will just become more distant and detached from you. You won't _feel_ them like you will the 'new' memories."

"Ok, good," James breathed in relief. "Now, uh, could you tell me who you are?" he asked the girl named Lyra.

She exhaled slowly, trying to figure out how much to tell him. "Well, as you've figured out, I'm Sirius' daughter. Oh, and this is my mum, Mariana, although her friends mostly call her Mari. Since my dad and yours are so close, we basically grew up together. I'm three years older than you, so I often had to keep you in line, but being one of the original Marauders' kids, I led you into my fair share of trouble, too," she smirked.

As she described their childhood, a blinding pain struck James, and he clutched his head as images and feelings about the girl in front of him began filling his head _._ He recalled running around on brooms, playing pretend Quidditch matches with her when they were too young to fly, wrestling in the dirt and flinging piles of mud at one another, being impressed that she didn't once squeal about her hair of clothes getting dirty.

He recalled listening to her and Teddy tell him about school as they sat in front of the fire at the Burrow, sipping hot chocolate, and he remembered her giving him a bear hug just before he boarded the Hogwarts Express when it was finally his time to go to school. Dozens of pranks the three of them played flashed through his mind, slowing when it came to one, which left both him and Lyra soaking wet in the main hall of her place, Dogstar Manor, laughing like hyenas. Suddenly, in a swath of typically Gryffindor courage, 14 year old James swooped up and kissed Lyra, right on the lips. Her eyes widened in shock, but she smiled softly when the young boy pulled back almost immediately after initiating the kiss. "Maybe you can try that again in a few years," she had said gently, ruffling his messy hair before shooting him a mischevious smile and turning around to head back to her room. The next memory was of another kiss the two shared, a few years down the road, at James' Hogwarts graduation. This time it was Lyra who pulled the young man to her by his red and gold tie, kissing him soundly on the lips as their friends cheered and wolf whistled.

"You're my girlfriend," James breathed in awe as the headache began to subside and he looked at the beautiful girl who suddenly meant so much more to him than just a gorgeous face and physique.

"Guilty as charged," she admitted with a wink. "We've been together since you finished Hogwarts."

"The same year you opened up the auto repair shop," he added in realization. "Merlin's saggy balls!" he suddenly exclaimed. "You're a Muggle!"

Lyra flushed red for a moment, but quickly pulled her composure back together and straightened her shoulders in an almost defiant manner. "Yes, although some people label me a Squib since Daddy is a wizard, but with Mum being a Muggle I suppose either term could apply."

"I, I'm sorry Hun, I didn't mean it as an insult, the memory just took me by surprise," Jamie apologized sincerely, reaching out his hand to take hers.

"It's ok; I imagine this whole thing is bit wonky for you."

"Ha! You can say that again," James agreed with a laugh as he gave his girlfriend a prolonged hug. "Although I have to say I am looking forward to remembering more about our time together, and making new memoires…especially ones that include you in that fitted white t-shirt, greasy tight jeans, red bandana, and black leather jacket," he finished with a lascivious whisper. "Yum!"

"Jamie!" she chastised as her father gave them a dirty look.

"Quit pushing your luck, kid," Sirisu warned, "I may like you more than I thought I would like anyone who dared to date my little girl, and your Dad may be my godson, but that won't stop me from Crucioing you to within an inch of your life."

"Oh, Siri, stop your theatrics! You love the boy and you know it. He's a wonderful match for Lyra and a charming gentleman," Mari stated. "Just like you and I are perfect for each other."

"They'd better not be _just like_ you and I," Sirius grumbled as he gave his insanely attractive wife a firm slap on her pert ass, causing her to giggle.

"Ugh, could you two get a room?" Lyra moaned, embarrassed at the usual antics of her overly amorous parents.

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," Sirius growled as he leered at his nubile wife and pulled her close to him.

"Gross Dad!" Lyra exclaimed as her tanned skin flushed pink in embarrassment.

"You would think you'd be used to it by now," Ginny smirked at her son's girlfriend. "At least they're better than when they first met," she added with a shrug.

"Ugh, do you remember the night we went to visit Mari at the observatory she worked at and we found them going at it on the floor?" Harry asked his wife, causing Lyra to scream in frustration and cover her ears.

"Hey, it's not my fault my girl loves astronomy and likes to do it under the stars," Sirius winked.

"I still say your name is the only reason a lovely girl like Mari fell for you," Ginny quipped, winking at the woman in question.

"Definitely," Mari agreed with a smirk of her own. "When I learned about their family tradition of naming kids after constellations and stars I finally agreed to marry him," the attractive Brazilian astronomer added cheekily.

"Oh you're going to pay for those remarks!" Sirius threatened with a heated look in his eyes.

"Make me," she challenged with a raised brow. Sirius growled and began to chase her, pursuing her out of the room until their giggles, growls, and squeals were muffled by the sound of a nearby slamming door.

"So I guess those stories about Sirius being a ladies man weren't exaggerated after all," James commented with a smile.

"Unfortunately no," Harry answered his son. "But thank Merlin he fell in love with Mari and settled down. Now at least he's only embarrassingly randy over _one_ woman."

"HARRY! Please!" Lyra squealed, causing the Chosen One to laugh. "I do not need to hear about my father's lascivious exploits! The stories Uncle Remy tells me about his school days are quite enough, thank you very much!"

"What did you say?" James demanded of his girlfriend, his eyes wide as saucers.

"What?" she asked in confusion, not sure which part of her statement could have perplexed the boy.

"You…you said 'Uncle Remy'. You don't mean…Remus…do you?" he stuttered around a throat that had suddenly gone dry.

"Yeah, of course I mean Remus. Who else would…Oh! Oh shite, that's right! In the other timeline he…Teddy nearly had a heart attack when he walked into Malfoy Manor," the girl rambled.

"Teddy's dad is…alive?" James asked with trepidation, praying he hadn't misread the situation.

"Yes, James, he is," Ginny nodded as he laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, knowing it would take a lot of adjusting to cope with the sudden differences in his world.

"Oh Merlin!" James exclaimed, "Teddy must be ecstatic!"

"After he recovered from fainting, yeah, he was pretty psyched," Lyra chimed in with a smirk.

"What about his mum?" he asked with hopeful wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jamie," Harry sighed, "but Dora isn't with us."

With those words, the trademark headache of a "new" memory hit the messy haired young man. "Ugh, not again!" he moaned, clutching his head and laying back on the pillows.

 _Jamie was around 5, and a pre-teen version of Teddy was sitting next to him on the floor, both looking up at Sirius with rapt attention as he told them a dramatic story, complete with different voices and simulated sound effects. "I dispatched Yaxley with a mighty swoop of my wand, the Cutting Curse slicing his head clean off!"_

" _Eww," Teddy recoiled._

" _Wicked!" James squealed._

" _I turned around to see which foolhardy Death Eater wanted to try to take me on next, and that's when I saw ole' Moony dueling with Greyback, Dolohov cowardly sneaking up behind him," he growled. "I charged in, wand at the ready! Through the smoke rising from the charged ground, I rose up and threw a Blasting Curse right at his stupid, ugly face! He was so focused on trying to curse Moony from behind that he never even saw it coming! A moment later – BLAM!" he shouted, pantomiming an explosion, "It hit him square in his grotesque mug and his face was blown clean off! Moony was saved and he went on to obliterate that filthy flea ridden mongrel Greyback! Not to mention gallantly saving your Mum from Bella's killing curse by knocking her down a cliff!"_

 _The boys cheered uproariously as Remus entered the room and let out an exaggerated sigh as he leaned against the door frame. He had his arms sternly crossed and was trying to look serious, but he couldn't quite repress the hint of an indulgent smile as he looked upon the scene. "Padfoot, how many times have I told you not to fill their heads with such violence and gore? They're going to be up with nightmares all night now."_

" _No we won't, Dad!" Teddy huffed indignantly, his hair turning blood red. "We're not little babies anymore, you know!"_

" _Oh, that I know," Remus assured as he moved over to his son, swooping him up and spinning him around. "I can't believe my little boy is almost all grown up! In a few months you'll be at Hogwarts and you'll forget all about your poor old Dad!" he lamented overly dramatically._

 _Teddy giggled at his Dad's antics as the werewolf pulled him in for a hug and ruffled his hair. "Mu-um!" he whined, "make him stop!"_

 _Over Remus's shoulder, Tonks now stood in the doorway, a blissful smile on her face as she wiped her flour-covered hands on her jeans._

" _Remy dear, stop embarrassing our son in front of his friend," she scolded without any heat._

" _But he's going to leave us all alone, Dora!" Remus cried, continuing to overact, eliciting chuckles from Sirius and Jamie. "He's all grown up, a self-reliant little man! How will we survive with him so far away?"_

" _Hmm, you're right! We won't see him for months at a time!" she exclaimed with equal melodrama, even throwing her hand up to her forehead and mimicking the damsels in distress she so loathed in the romance novels her Mum liked to read._

" _Oh, Merlin!" Teddy sighed, knowing what was coming._

" _We mustn't let him go!" Tonks exclaimed in a false Southern Belle accent as she descended upon Remus and Teddy, enveloping them both in her arms and hugging them tightly._

" _You're both barmy, you know that, right?" Sirius asked as he laughed at his "nephew's" disgruntled but resigned look._

" _That's why we're perfect for each other," Tonks replied with a smile, giving Remus a playful kiss and causing the boys to groan in disgust._

The scene faded away and another "new" memory took its place, this one far less happy.

 _Jamie had been called to the Headmistresses office, for once at a complete loss as to why. He hadn't played any pranks all week! The first year racked his brain as he climbed the moving stairs, but shrugged and decided he'd find out soon enough. He knocked and was told to enter, but it lacked the cold bite that he was used to hearing in his Aunt Minnie's voice when he was in trouble. Instead, it sounded sad. With growing trepidation, the young boy pushed open the door and took in the scene. Aunt Minnie was behind her desk, but her eyes were red rimmed and her face looked particularly lined. In one of the chairs in front of her desk sat 17 year old Teddy Lupin, his usually bright hair a dull gray shade and his body shaking as he hid his head in his hands. His father was kneeling down next to him, hugging him tightly and rocking back and forth._

" _Teddy?" James gulped, having a very bad feeling about all of this._

 _The metamorphmagus raised his head slowly, tears streaming down his face, as they were on his father's face as well._

" _Oh Merlin, what's wrong?" James squeaked, not sure that he really wanted to know, as he rushed towards his best friend, his honorary big brother._

" _Mm-Mum…d-d-died," the boy managed to get out before devolving back into sobbing tears._

" _What?" James breathed out in total shock. "That…it can't be true," he begged, shaking his head._

" _I'm afraid it is Jamie," Remus confirmed miserably through his own sobs, clutching his son even tighter._

 _Without hesitation, Jamie ran up to them and joined the hug, tears spilling from his eyes even as he tried to comfort Teddy. At some point, Harry and Ginny arrived, adding to the pile, along with Andromeda, Sirius, Mari, Lyra, Ron, Hermione, and the entire Potter/Weasley clan. The office was filled to the brim and it was decided that the kids who were in school would all take the rest of the week off and join everyone at Sirius' large home. It hurt too much right now for Remus and Teddy to go back to the townhouse they had lived in with Dora._

 _Once there, Molly made tea for everyone and the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shaklebolt, came over to speak with them all in person about what happened. He explained that Tonks was part of an elite Auror group hunting down some Dark wizards who were involved in Muggle trafficking; people who kidnapped Muggle kids and sold them to Dark families as slaves since house elves now had to be paid for their service. Most buyers used the kids just like house elves, for menial household tasks, but some had even more nefarious plans for the children. The adults cast a muffilato over the kids' ears at this point, but from the horrified looks on their faces and the tears that sprang into Hermione's and Molly's eyes, the kids could only imagine how horrible the things those people did to the kids were._

" _She caught them," Kingsley said with remorseful pride of his former partner. "The bastards won't ever be able to hurt any kids ever again, but the victory came at such a high cost," he lamented, his stoic resolve breaking and tears flowing down his face even as he continued to speak. "The leader of the group had used the last of his minions as a human shield and fired off a Blasting Curse at Tonks. She hit her head on the stone wall, but before she lost consciousness she managed one last spell, one which removed that scumbag from the face of the earth. Her partner rushed her to St. Mungo's, but they couldn't fix the internal damage from the curse."_

" _She held on until I got there," Remus chocked out, "even then, she was smiling at me. She told me we'd better not wallow in misery for too long, or she'd come haunt us," he chuckled sadly. "She also said for me to tell you, Teddy, that she is so proud of you, and you are the best thing she's ever done in her life. She said she was lucky to have us both, and she'll always…always love us, and be watching over us," he explained as Teddy rushed into his father's arms, both breaking down into sobs again. Andromeda joined them as the family cried out the loss of the shining star in their universe._

"She died years after the battle," James remarked when the flash of memories had subsided. "Teddy was in his seventh year."

"Yes, he was," Harry confirmed. "He lost her, but he had 17 years with her, and now he has those memories, even the feelings connected with them. It isn't the best outcome, but from what the other kids told me about the other timeline, it was an improvement over never having known her."

James nodded his head, tears welling in his eyes as the loss of his cool "Aunt Tonks" hit him again. Lyra sat down beside him and wrapped him in her arms, kissing his tears gently away.

"Is Teddy still an Auror?" he asked once the wave of sadness had receded.

"Yes," Ginny answered. "He thought about changing his plans right after it happened, blaming the job for taking his Mum, but he realized that Tonks wouldn't have wanted that. She loved her job, and whenever anyone asked her about the risks she would always say that we all have to die sometime, and she'd much rather die doing good in the world then sitting back and watching bad things happen. He became an Auror in her honor, and has been carrying on her tradition of helping those who can't help themselves."

"Not to mention carrying on her tradition of destroying my obstacle courses with his two left feet!" Harry added with a good-natured smirk. That caused everyone to chuckle and fondly recall all the times Tonks and Teddy had destroyed things through their clumsiness.

"Thanks guys," James said sincerely once the laughter had faded. "These past few months have been one Hell of a ride, but no matter which timeline, Mum and Dad, you have always been there for me. And Lyra, I am so glad that our mucking about with time led to me being with you."

"Me too," She said with a soft smile that suddenly became mischievous, "After all, if it weren't for your propensity to break rules, I wouldn't have even been born!"

James laughed, realizing that was true. "I guess that kind of makes me your God, huh?" he asked with a challengingly raised eyebrow.

"Oh Merlin," Ginny huffed, throwing her hands in the air.

"You wish, Potter!" Lyra scoffed, hitting him in the face with one of the spare hospital bed pillows, causing everyone to break out into joyous laughter again.


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N**_ _: Hi Everyone! First and foremost, please accept my apologies for the delay in updating this story. Damn real life came at me with a vengeance and didn't leave me nearly as much time to write as I would have liked. Hopefully some of you are still out there, though, and will be interested in reading this chapter. We are coming to the end of the tale soon, (1 or 2 remaining chapters after this one) so if you have any burning unresolved questions, speak now._

 _Speaking of questions, one lovely reviewer inquired about Fred's fate in this new timeline. His fate, and that of many of the other supporting characters, will be revealed in this chapter._

 _Thanks again to everyone who has read, favorited, and reviewed this story. You guys truly rock!_

 **Chapter 27**

James remained in the hospital for the next nine days while he recuperated from the internal damage done to his system from the curse, but with a steady diet of restorative potions, bland food, and enough bed rest to make the boy want to rip his messy hair out in boredom, he was almost fully recovered upon his release. He had also recovered all of his "new" memories, which had brought some shocking surprises.

The most shocking of those was the discovery that he had another three cousins in this timeline. Persephone, age 12, Poppy and Georgina, known as "the twins", both age 7, were the product of his uncle Fred's miraculous survival of the final battle. The revelation came to him late at night, when he was in that place between asleep and awake, and he was so afraid that it had been a vivid dream instead of a memory that he woke his mother up immediately to ask her about it, despite the fact that she had gotten precious little sleep in the past few days while watching his recovery.

Upon confirmation that it was a true memory, he broke down in tears. Although he had not known his Uncle Fred in the previous timeline, he had seen the haunted, lost, lonely look in his Uncle George's eyes every time he invented a new prank, opened a new WWW store, and especially when he looked in the mirror. His mother had even confided that for the next three months after the final battle, Uncle George had destroyed every mirror he owned, and any other mirror he encountered. He had also grown his hair out to his shoulders and spelled it brown so his own face didn't constantly remind him of the brother and best friend he had lost. His poor Uncle had gone through hell, and he was so relieved that now, he had not had to endure that.

" _Unca Percy," a three year old, bright eyed Albus asked Percy Weasley as he sat by the fire on Christmas Eve._

" _Yes Albus?"_

" _Why don you have a wegular leg?" the innocent boy inquired._

" _Albus!" Harry quietly admonished. "What have we told you about asking people improper questions?"_

" _Sowwy Daddy, I's just curios," he whispered back with sad, downturned eyes._

" _It's ok, Harry," Percey chimed in as he laid a comforting hand on Albus's tiny shoulder. "Albus, I don't mind you asking, but remember that we are family, so that is a little different than if you asked a stranger on Diagon Alley that question."_

" _Oh tay. Thanks Unca Percy," the young boy beamed._

" _To answer your question, I don't have one of my original legs because I lost it during the Final Battle in the war."_

" _Did you spinch yourself?"_

" _It's pronounced 'splinch' Albus, but no, I didn't splinch myself. Your Uncle Fred and I were guarding the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts and we got caught in an explosion."_

 _Albus's bright green eyes grew wide as he processed this. "It hurt your leg?"_

 _Percy looked questioningly at Harry and his baby sister, silently asking how much he should tell the young man._

" _Go ahead, he's a disturbingly precocious tot so if you don't tell him he'll just sneak into the library to look it up," Harry allowed._

" _Very well. My leg was not only injured, it was blown clean off."_

" _It was gone?!" Albus asked with a mixture of awe and horror. "Did it hurt?"_

" _I'm sure it did, but at first I was in shock, and then…"_

" _Then what?"_

" _Then I passed out," Percy admitted, a little sheepishly._

" _Hey, there's no shame in that," Fred piped in, having entered the room from the kitchen midway through the explanation. "You lost a ton of blood saving my handsome arse, its only natural that you'd pass out."_

" _He saved your awse, Unca Fred?" Albus inquired earnestly._

" _Fred!" Ginny rebuked as she slapped her older brother. "Watch your mouth; he's very impressionable!"_

" _Sorry sis," Fred replied with utter insincerity and a mischevious gleam in his eye. "That's not a word you should say until you are older," he continued, now addressing the toddler, "but yes, if it wasn't for your Uncle Percy I doubt very much I would be alive." Fred's eyes got suspiciously shiny as he looked at his straight-laced older brother who he had teased mercilessly growing up._

" _You would have done the same for me," Percy deflected, but there was a gleam of pride in his eyes._

" _Wow! You're a hewo Unca Percy!" Albus exclaimed, jumping up from his father's lap and giving his uncle a firm hug. "I'm gonna be jus wike you when I gwow up!"_

" _Thanks kiddo," Percy replied with a blush and a huge smile._

After the flash and the corresponding headache had concluded, Ginny answered her son's questions and filled in the holes. James was confused as to how their saving Sirius impacted the explosion outside the Room of Requirement, and although Ginny wasn't sure, since she couldn't recall her brother's death (thank Merlin; just thinking of the possibility was enough to make her shudder) she did mention that Sirius had told Percy about his falling out with Regulus and never getting to make it right before he died when Percy was still on the fringe of the family. Perhaps, she theorized, that speech gave Percy the courage to essentially sacrifice himself for his brother.

A few hours later James received a flash of memory letting him know that Fred had been knocked unconscious when Percy pushed him away from the blast and had remained that way for two months. The family had been terrified that he wouldn't wake up, and during that time, George and Angelina bonded in their grief and worry. They did not become romantically involved at that time, but they forged a strong connection that Fred claimed he could sense the moment he awoke. After reassuring George that he was fine with him asking Angelina out, and smacking him in the head when he refused to believe him, George finally worked up the courage to ask her out, and the rest was history.

Through the flashes James also learned that Fred remained enthusiastically single for nearly ten years until he met Amelia at an Inventor's Conference in Prague. The Swedish woman was a venture capitalist looking to invest in new products and businesses and was a tough as nails businesswoman and negotiator. Fred made quite an impression by backing into her while joking with George and spilling an entire vial of "Pep Powder" on her. The experimental formula was designed to allow people to function at triple speed for a short while, to increase productivity, but unfortunately had not yet been perfected. Instead of wearing off in an hour, as it was supposed to, it remained in effect for 10 hours. The result was that poor Amelia Olsson collapsed from exhaustion and had to be brought to the nearest magical hospital. Fred, naturally, felt awful about it and visited her when she awoke the next day. Amelia was, of course, brassed off, especially since she had missed the main presentation she was interested in seeing for a possible large scale investment. Imagine her surprise when she discovered the bumbling twit who had put her in hospital was the co-owner of the very business she was most interested in financing! Fred gave her a bang up deal to make up for his clumsiness, and insisted on taking her to dinner to discuss the details.

Amelia resisted Fred's wacky charms for months, insisting she was only interested in a business relationship, but as everyone knows, a Weasley on a mission can rarely be stopped. Therefore, just over a year after that fateful day, Fred and Amelia were wed. Almost immediately Amelia fell pregnant and gave birth to their first baby girl, Persephone, who mostly everyone called "Percy". She was named in honor of the man who had saved Fred's life, and Percy was flattered, if a little embarrassed to have a girl as his namesake.

A few years later Amelia gave birth to a set of twins, one named after the woman who had saved so many of the Weasley's lives, including Percy's and Fred's, and, one named, of course, after Fred's own twin brother George.

New memories of the three young girls filled into Jamie's mind and he couldn't help but smile. The gains did not come without a cost, as Percy could attest firsthand, but the serious man assured his time traveling nephews and nieces when they had sheepishly asked him about it, that his leg was a small price to pay for the life of his little brother and he wouldn't change it back for the world. "Especially," he had added, "since my genius nephew here designed me this amazing new prosthetic leg," as he ruffled Hugo's hair and chuckled at the young boy's shy blush.

Unfortunately, saving Sirius could not save everyone, and the time travelers had been saddened to learn that many still died in this timeline, including Ron's ex-girlfriend Lavender Brown, Harry's admirer Colin Creevey, tenacious Auror Mad-Eye Moody, the Leader of the Light Albus Dumbledore, and Al's idol Severus Snape.

Al was broken-hearted when he learned that the man who he had bonded with, both as a portrait, and most recently as a flesh and blood man, could not be saved from his horrible fate. The teenager had no delusions that Snape was a nice man, and he doubted having Sirius around for three more years had helped the dour man's disposition before his death, but he knew that he was an honorable and principled man, and that he had deserved so much more than a posthumous Order of Merlin and a short, specky namesake. The man spent his entire adult life atoning for mistakes of his childhood, putting his life on the line, enduring and being forced to enact unfathomable tortures, and sacrificing everything to save a world that had been nothing but awful to him, and what did he get for it? Nothing. Sure, he died a hero, but Al thought it was too little, too late, especially since he had not been alive to rub it in the face of all of his detractors.

Al wished more than anything that he could use the TDD again and go back to the night Snape was killed and somehow save him, like they saved Sirius, but he was too intelligent to let his heart make such a reckless decision. After all, just because things _seemed_ to have worked out fine with changing Sirius's fate, that did not guarantee the same would hold true if he changed Snape's fate. _Besides,_ the emerald eyed boy thought to himself, _if I did go back and save him, what would he do with his future?_ He couldn't help but think of some of the last words the stern man had spoken to him in the past: _"everyone I have ever cared for is gone; once the Dark Lord has been defeated, I have no cause to remain in this world."_ If that was true, and he saw no reason for Snape to lie about such a thing, the man probably wouldn't even want to be saved. At least this way there was a _chance_ he was reunited with Regulus, Lily, and Dumbledore, if one believed in an afterlife. _Even if an afterlife didn't exist,_ Al mused, _at least he finally has some peace. Plus, I can still go talk to his portrait. That's better than nothing, I suppose._


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: Hi Everyone! Well, this is it, the final chapter of Race Against Time! It's hard to believe that this story is done, having started writing it so many years ago. This last chapter is a short one, but I think it wraps up the loose ends. Thanks so much for sharing this journey and special thanks to everyone who favorited and reviewed this story. You helped keep me motivated and I appreciate all the feedback along the way._

 **Chapter 28**

When the day finally came for Jamie's release, the healer gave him strict instructions to take it easy for at least another week, and Victorie vowed to ensure he adheared to those stipulations, under penalty of revealing some extremely embarresing stories and pictures of his youth to his beautiful girlfriend. Jamie glared at the young healer but begrudgingly promised he'd behave.

With that the young man was escorted out of the hospital, literally surrounded by his family, which was fortunate since there was a mob of photographers and reporters waiting outside St. Mungos upon his release.

James was no stranger to the press, given his choice of careers, and honestly he didn't mind being the center of attention and talking about his passion, Quidditch. Unfortunately, most times the reporters weren't satisfied just asking about that topic. They always wanted to ask him absurd and upsetting questions about his personal life, ("when are you going to pop the question?" "are you worried if you have kids with Lyra they will be squibs too?") or about his dad, ("is it true that your father cheated on your mother with Draco Malfoy?" "do you worry that his violent past and current job are making him more prone to violence himself?") or even about his Slytherin brother ("are you ashamed of having a brother in the same house as He Who Must Not Be Named?" "do you worry that he will be the next Dark Lord?"). Who knew what they would come up with now that they had caught wind of the fact that his "minor illness" had caused him to be in hospital for weeks. He wouldn't be surprised if he read in the _Prophet_ the next day that he had contracted a sexual disease or the plague. Thank Merlin he could count on Xenophilius and _The Quibbler_ to set the record straight. He had an appointment with the elderly and eccentric man later that day to give him an exclusive interview. Given the means by which they procured the cure, James couldn't tell Mr. Lovegood the whole truth, but he would tell him something as close to it as possible, and he was sure it would be far closer to the actual truth than anything the other media outlets could come up with.

Before that, though, he was going to relish the time catching up with his friends and family, particularly those that had passed away or had not existed in the previous timeline. Although his parents, brother, and sister had visited him regularly in the hospital, the high profile nature of their family and the hospital rules prevented most of the extended family members from spending much time with him. He hadn't yet had the chance to meet Scorpius' younger twin brothers, despite having memories of them, which was odd to say the least. He also had only one brief encounter with Remus since he was still on potions that made him drowsy when the werewolf came to visit. He was looking forward to really getting to know his best friend's father. Of course, he was also anxious to spend more time with his girlfriend. It took some getting used to having feelings of love for a person he remembered, but at the same time he knew didn't exist in his world only a few weeks ago.

Once the group had safely made it to the magically expanded car that was waiting for them, they piled in and Harry and James let out a synchronized sigh of relief. This caused them all to laugh, and Harry couldn't help but pull his eldest sone into his arms for a fierce hug. Ginny joined in and they relished that fact that their first born truly was healthy and well again.

The driver, one of Harry's aurors, turned around to make sure everyone was accounted for and then signaled the cavalcade of aurors escorting the vehicle to head out. A disillusionment charm had been cast over all of the vehicles in the party so that the reporters couldn't easily follow them. When they arrived at Harry's home at Grimmauld Place, the place was filled to the brim. All of the Weasleys were there, including even Charlie and his long-time partner Nickolas, along with the Lupins, the Blacks, the Malfoys, Mr. Lovegood, the Scamanders, and James' entire Quidditch team.

James was blown away by the amount of people that had turned out to welcome him home and he couldn't help thinking how blessed his life was. Seeing the huge smile on his son's face, Harry beamed with pride and warmth, but couldn't help leaning over and whispering a warning in his ear. "Don't go getting it in your head that you can start messing with time now just because it worked out well this once," he advised with a smirk.

"I know, Dad," he sighed melodramatically, knowing he was mostly kidding. "Besides, I have everything a guy could want now, why would I ever want to go messing with that?"

"My thoughts exactly!" he agreed with a wide smile as he gave him a loving kiss on his forehead. "Now go spend some time with your teammates since I'm sure we'll all have a lot to talk about once they leave for the night."

James complied with a smile and moved over to the group of enthusiastic young men and women, being swallowed up in hugs and slaps on the back.

"He's a very special young man," a pleasing baritone voice chimed in behind Harry, and he turned to see Remus Lupin gazing at his son with pride, with Sirius and Mira standing just behind him.

"Yes, he is," he agreed with sparkling emerald eyes. Looking at his former professor, he couldn't help but think of what his children had revealed of the kind man's fate in the alternate timeline that he couldn't recall. Thinking of how unfair it would have been for Teddy to lose both of his parents so young, for Harry himself to have lost both of his key role models and parental figures, and for the world to lose such kind, intelligent, brave men, Harry couldn't help but think that maybe his kids recklessly traveling back in time was meant to be all along. After all, Potter's never did do anything the normal way!


End file.
